It’s anything but quiet in January for Historic Trades. In addition to being knee deep in training (giving and receiving), several shops are moving, there are four new shop masters, and an old craft is reappearing.
Musical Chairs
Was that a loom you saw being borne down Duke of Gloucester St.? Er, could be. The Weaving Shop is just one of four that is headed to a new home in the coming weeks. They’ll be heading a few doors down DoG St. to the Greenhow Tenement, next to the Shoemaker.
The Gunsmiths will move lock, stock, and barrel back to their former home in the Ayscough House just south of the Capitol. That means the joiners need to move, so they’ll be hauling their tools all the way down to the Taliaferro-Cole Shop, presently occupied by… the weavers. Confused yet?
Well, there’s one more. The Tailors will be decamping from the Margaret Hunter Shop to the Durfey Shop near Merchants Square, but not until early April. That’s also the timetable for the Weavers. Those two are taking a bit longer because neither building was a trade shop before; one was a residence, the other an office. So outfitting the new spaces will take a couple of months, delaying their reopening.
The moves will give the shops room to explore their fullest potential. Many have been sharing workspaces for the sake of economy, but the hope is that a higher density of trade shops will contribute to an even stronger representation of town life. “We want guests to walk out the door and immediately see somewhere else to go,” said Peter Seibert, Director of Historic Trades.
Already, both the Weavers and Gunsmiths are in the process of hiring new apprentices.
Recognizing Great Leaders
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- Ted Boscana
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- Jason Whitehead
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- Kaare Loftheim
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- Karen Clancy
Four people were recently named Master of the Shop for their respective trades: Karen Clancy for the Weaving Shop, Ted Boscana for the Joinery, Jason Whitehead for the Masonry Trades, and Kaare Loftheim for the Cabinet Shop.
It’s the first time a Master of the Shop will be recognized for all but the Cabinet Shop. Peter explained that a committee of senior tradespersons had worked this past summer to develop clear criteria for earning Master status.
The new Masters were chosen for their management skills in running good shops as much as for their expertise at plying their particular trades.
What does it mean to run a good shop? First and foremost, it means having a well-executed interpretive plan that allows guests to get the most out of their visits. But it also means mentoring the next generation of Historic Tradespeople and participation in the committee work that ensures the Trades will continue to flourish.
All of Our Beeswax
Finally, 2016 will bring the return of candlemaking after a three decade absence. Above is a picture of what it looked like then. Tom Redd, who made candles in the Historic Area back in the day, is leading the effort, which will debut in April and run into September.
Weather permitting, that is. Why? Because it will be interpreted as an outdoor craft set up behind the joiners at the Taliaferro-Cole House, operating seven days a week with about four staff at a time.
They will demonstrate dipping and molding, the two primary methods of candlemaking, using beeswax and the occasional bayberry. “All you need to make candles,” says Tom, “is a stick, two chairs, and a piece of string.” But they’ll be better equipped than that.
They’ll actually be using some of the same equipment that was used when the craft was last demonstrated in the 1980s. Back then, a couple of forward-thinking tradespeople stashed the goods away somewhere, and now they are re-emerging. (Does this kind of thing happen in other places?)
Tom promises that you’ll know when you’ve found the candlemakers. Approaching the site you’ll get “the smell of Christmas like a hammer between the eyes.” Something to look forward to.
So is the imminent launch of our new unified Historic Trades Facebook page, which will keep you informed about what’s going on with all of them in one place. Like any of the Facebook pages our Trades currently have to hear more about this move, coming soon.
Thanks again to Fred Blystone for sharing his photographs of the new shop masters and his map of the moves!
I am heartened to hear of the changes being made in the craft department. From 1968 until 1972 I worked as an apprentice under Master Craftsman Dan Berg. I have heard the former shop referred to as a “production shop,” but the frequent casting demonstrations were quite real and because the shop workers actually performed they always had something interesting and informative to share with the public. But more than that, we loved the work and would do research on our own. Once we cast a set of 10 candles sticks using different pewter alloys to show the public the variety of pewters that were in use in the 18th C. The shop also cast parts for the silversmiths and other departments. After I graduated from William and Mary I pursued a career in metals conservation and retired from the Smithsonian in 2008. Demonstrating crafts has potential not only for the enlightenment of the visitor but also for those lucky enough to work as an apprentice. I still cast pewter in 18th C. molds today.
Thanks for sharing your own experience and memories. Hope you’ll come see us!
What a great concept to have the trades in these better places. We have visited many times, and look forward to our visit this year over the Independence week. Thanks to all the forward thinking directors and the hard working Masters and their staff of volunteers.
With the move of the Gunsmith back to their original shop, will the Geddy Shop go back more to demonstrating the foundry operation. The sandcasting and molds and the pouring operation was very popular back in the day!
Glad to see candlemaking returning … the last time that I remember it being demonstrated, it was at the Whyte house.
Happy to see changes being made … let’s attract more visitors!
I thought it was in the Kitchen behind the Brush-Everard House?
CW has made candles at the Wythe House, Brush-Everard House, and the Governor’s Palace - maybe other places as well. So glad they are bringing candle making back!
The answer is yes, the Geddy will be able to do more of what they were doing before the gunsmith joined them. Should be great!
With all the pottery items used and sold at CW, I am surprised there is not a trade to make these items. Has this trade ever been part of the historic district?
Do you know when the “Color HA map 6_2_12” that can be downloaded from CW will be updated?
I use the map a lot for trip planning.
I don’t know of any downloadable maps, although we do have the app for navigation. I spoke with our team that handles the on-site maps and was told they’re not posted online, but will be updated week-by-week come Feb. 1 to reflect the changes. I hope that’s helpful. If you can direct me to a place online that you were looking, I can research this further.
Will you provide links to the existing trade pages ? Id love to check those out. Thanks
There are too many to list, but let me offer some of the most active for starters. You can search for others according to your interests. And know that soon we’ll be presenting all that content in one place, so if you like one of the current pages, you’ll soon see more details posted.
Weaving: https://www.facebook.com/WeaversofWilliamsburg/
Milliner: https://www.facebook.com/TheMargaretHunterShop/?fref=ts
Brickyard: https://www.facebook.com/Colonial-Williamsburg-Brickyard-316009977294/?fref=ts
Wheelwright: https://www.facebook.com/Colonial-Williamsburg-Wheelwright-and-Carriage-Shop-168372994696/?fref=nf
I am so excited. My daughter and i spend most of our visit times at the trades areas. The homes are good but they don’t grab our attention like the trades do. My daughter is very interested in working in a trade area after she finishes school and I am encouraging her interest. We also love the weaver’s shop. Karen can present the information in a way that makes you not want to leave but to keep listening. I can’t wait to see the new shop. I hope it might be open by Easter break. On a related topic can anyone tell me what kind of chickens are at the Wythe house and the Powell house? They are so interesting and when we were there over Christmas I did not get the chance to ask someone what breed they were. Keep expanding and growing the trades you can’t go wrong there.
The Wythe & Powell house chickens are Nankin bantams.
Congratulations Ted! Well deserved accolade.
Huzzah!!!
So excited to see all these new changes! I agree the western area of town needed some more areas of interest and interactive “trade life”. As a supporter and long time fan of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and what it stands for I must admit that change can sometimes be unsettling. However, I see CW making exciting changes that will only recharge the fans of the past and welcome new patriots!
Love the moves and very excited for candlemaking. Hopefully I can learn some tips from them as I use my excess beeswax to make candles. We spent about an hour on our December visit listening to Karen talk, she is such a great asset to CW as well as many other who work the trades.
It appears that CW is moving is a great direction. Can’t wait to get back down a few times this year.
This is all WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!! Candles, gingerbread, the Gunsmith, recognizing the Masters . . . . . Y-E-S-S-S-S-S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I still have some boxes of candles stashed from back in the day they were made at Brush-Everard and at the Governor’s Palace. I take them out occasionally to sniff - and they STILL smell great (both the beeswax and the bayberry!). I have handmade sugar tongs and a gravy ladle from the Silversmith, a variety of cloth from the weaver, a variety of kitchen tools, etc. from the foundry - crafts folks, your works are treasured and long-lived!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks so much for your kind words and enthusiasm!
Oh, I should also mention the wooden items from Don Works and pre-Don Works that I have, some Kittinger furniture, plus Geddy Foundry, Sven Berg, and Max Rieg candlesticks and other items, not to mention Virginia Metalcrafters and some Sedgefield of late, plus Stieff, etc. But it is the things that are made there in Williamsburg in front of us that have the draw, and the pull, and the memories. The constant reminder that makes you want to go back to CW again and again, because there is always something different going on with the crafts. There is no way on earth I could get my husband to make repeat visits to tour rooms, but he LOVES the crafts and so is willing to humor me.
It is the crafts I remember from when I first visited in 1960 at the age of 5, and the Lanthorn Tour where a guide gave part of Patrick Henry’s famous speech in the House of Burgesses. That, and trying to dodge the tree branches crashing down from Hurricane Donna, and taking refuge in the glassed in end of the old Craft House. I really miss the old Craft House and its charm. The complete rooms provided so many decorating ideas and were SO charming - it gave me something to dream about that was within reach through reproductions. The new Craft House is a pretty gift shop, but not charming, and does not provide examples of how to use the reproductions together - it doesn’t make me dream. The old Craft House educated on 18th c design (especially the catalogs, which I have copies of back to the 1940s), PLUS encouraged visitors to buy reproductions and accessories. I know sales are an important part of supporting your mission - but sometimes I feel like I am shopping at the Pottery Barn when I am in the modern Craft House.
Also, THANK YOU for renting and selling costumes for kids, and making costumes available for purchase for adults as well. Tactile learning! It’s why the scents of gingerbread cookies, wood smoke, and beeswax and bayberry candles are an important part of the Williamsburg experience that bring people back! I made authentic clothes for my girls for years, and they have wonderful memories of dances at the Capitol and the Governor’s Palace. Plus getting arrested by Cornwallis’ troops while wearing my brother’s !st Va Regiment artillery uniform. They learned so much about life in the 18th century - not least of which is that these people were real people, not faceless dates in history books. That freedom wasn’t and isn’t free. They saw how individuals made a difference back then, and helped them see that they can make a difference today.
Colonial Williamsburg has given so much to so many in so many ways for so many years. Thank you!
Thanking you for taking the time to share your memories and thought about Colonial Williamsburg. I hope many people take the time to read them. We appreciate how much you and so many others care, and it’s wonderful to hear so many different perspectives about why you consider this place special.
I think we care so much because most of you in Colonial Williamsburg care so much. YOUR enthusiasm and love for what you do is infectious! I used to be an 18th c reenactor, and I remember the absolute thrill I felt when I saw a young person’s eyes light up, and I knew that they had made that personal connection that I had felt when I was 5 at Colonial Williamsburg. I think my girls did so well in history classes because of CW’s influence - history is REAL to them. Much of that is also due to the gentlemen who portray the Founding Fathers. I will never forget my oldest daughter, sitting at Mr. Jefferson’s feet when she was about 5, absolutely enraptured with the experience. It is wonderful to watch how your Founding Fathers reach people on contentious issues like slavery - people start to realize that the problems involved were not so easily solved. And watching people listen to Benedict Arnold and start to question their opinion of him as a thorough going scoundrel was hilarious! You make history fun - but you also get people to THINK! AMAZING!!!!!!!!
And thank you for getting rid of the Raleigh Tavern stage!
It’s so great to see a return of the trade shops to the center of town! They are what I remember from my first visits to CW years ago and what I miss most. Huzzah to Mr. Reiss and company for realizing that this is what visitors want to see and want their children and grandchildren to see, Without the trades visible as part of everyday life in the Colonial Capital, we only see a depiction of a “lifestyle” in the houses and possessions of residents, not “life as it was lived” where people went to tradespeople to make their purchases, do their business, make their money on a daily basis and then go home to the “lifestyle.”
The 18th century continues to evolve!