The home mechanic and complete self-instructor in carpentry, painting, horse-shoeing, soap making, candy making, baking, taxidermy, tanning, &c

[Subdeacon Joe]

https://archive.org/details/homemechaniccomp00scho

 

From 1897.  Some samples 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pat Riot]

Interesting forgotten talents. 
 

When I was a kid we went to a place called Meadowcroft Village in Pennsylvania. It was a living museum where people dressed in garb of the 1700’s and demonstrated life in the time of the Revolution. They demonstrated soap making, cooking, candle making, black smithing, animal husbandry, tailoring, shoe making, carpentry and other assorted tasks. It was quite interesting. 
It was interesting how they made Lye from wood ashes and mixed it with beef tallow to make bars of soap. 
I recall one girl asking how they made makeup so the women could be pretty. They actually had some rudimentary makeup on display but I recall the lady giving the lesson saying “Proper women and young ladies did not look at make up as being necessary. Most makeup was worn by ‘Ladies of the Evening’ and tavern wenches.”

The responses by some of the girls in my group were pretty funny as it was obvious the lady speaking was inferring they might have nefarious or tawdry roles in society by wearing makeup. 
I was most interested in the gun shop and the Blacksmith’s shop. 
When we went back there a couple of years later the gun shop was closed up for repairs. 
 

It seems things have changed there, but it is still open and has been expanded. I think my wife and I need to go there one day soon. 
 

https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/visit/meadowcroft/

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Looks like everything except self embalming.

[Sedalia Dave]

9 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Looks like everything except self embalming.

 

See Appendix A under Taxidermy. 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

On 9/15/2024 at 11:17 PM, Pat Riot said:

Interesting forgotten talents. 
 

When I was a kid we went to a place called Meadowcroft Village in Pennsylvania. It was a living museum where people dressed in garb of the 1700’s and demonstrated life in the time of the Revolution. They demonstrated soap making, cooking, candle making, black smithing, animal husbandry, tailoring, shoe making, carpentry and other assorted tasks. It was quite interesting. 
It was interesting how they made Lye from wood ashes and mixed it with beef tallow to make bars of soap. 
I recall one girl asking how they made makeup so the women could be pretty. They actually had some rudimentary makeup on display but I recall the lady giving the lesson saying “Proper women and young ladies did not look at make up as being necessary. Most makeup was worn by ‘Ladies of the Evening’ and tavern wenches.”

The responses by some of the girls in my group were pretty funny as it was obvious the lady speaking was inferring they might have nefarious or tawdry roles in society by wearing makeup. 
I was most interested in the gun shop and the Blacksmith’s shop. 
When we went back there a couple of years later the gun shop was closed up for repairs. 
 

It seems things have changed there, but it is still open and has been expanded. I think my wife and I need to go there one day soon. 
 

https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/visit/meadowcroft/

 

If you ever get up this way, try to see Upper Canada Village in southern Ontario or Fortress Louisburg in Nova Scotia.  Fortress Louisburg alone is worth a trip up here. 

Both sites are Living History during the summer.