Trade cards were the 18th century’s equivalent to today’s business cards and they provide interesting insight into some of the now obsolete jobs people once held. John Hunt, of Goswell Street in London, for instance, advertised his services as a “Nightman and Rubbish Carter.” What exactly did a nightman do? As the name indicates, […]
The necessary, necessary house, bog, boghouse, boggard, bog-shop, temple, convenience, temple of convenience, little house, house of office, close stool, privy, garderobe—all euphemistic terms for what we would call an outhouse. The privy at Graeme Park is a reconstruction located just off the south side of the house. Given the proximity to the door, the […]
Any assessment of health care in the 18th century, when life expectancy on both sides of the Atlantic averaged about 43 years, must include personnel ranging from educated physicians through barbers and midwives to neighborhood quacks. Diseases were attributed to superstitions, to bad behavior, or inhalation of foul air. Remedies included everything from herbal extracts, […]
On Sunday, March 12 Pennsylvania will be celebrating the 336th anniversary of the granting of the founding charter to William Penn by King Charles II. The original charter was granted on March 4, 1681 in fulfillment of a debt of about 16,000 English pounds (over 2 million of today’s money) which the crown owed to […]
When we last left off, about mid-day on Friday, August 24, the lower slope of the south side was about half done. And if you’re a Facebook Friend, then you saw where they were at the end of the day on Friday – about 2/3 done. […]
Well, after much anticipation, and an official state bidding process, the new roof project has begun on the Keith House. The existing oak shingle roof was put on in 1989 (to replace the first roof the state put on the house back in the 1960s) and was really starting to show its age – both […]
Happy Bastille Day everyone! Today it seems appropriate to take a break from our Celtic Festival preparations and quickly look at Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson’s interest in the French Revolution, which followed so closely on the heels of American independence. In 1793 Elizabeth sent a bundle of her poems and writings to fellow writer Annis Stockton. […]
The following notice ran in the “gossip column” of the June 2, 1922 Evening Public Ledger: Mr. and Mrs. Welsh Strawbridge of Graeme Park, Hatboro, have issued invitations for a dance on Saturday evening, June 17. The Library of Congress has made historic newspapers, dating from 1836-1922, available in their Chronicling America Series. Papers are […]
Excerpted from The Most Learned Woman in America by Anne Ousterhout: Emotionally exhausted and physically weakened from the relentless pregnancies and deaths [of her children] and her own illnesses, Ann Graeme had long anticipated and been preparing for death. As early as 1752, she had planned her funeral. She had woven her own burial linen, to save […]
The grass and shrubs that were planted around the wedding tent back in April are starting to green up and bloom quite nicely in the little amount of time they’ve been here. For review, here is the back area of the tent when it was first planted and seeded…. […]