The spinning wheel that currently sits in the Calvin Jones House has long stopped producing thread, but while I studied it I was inspired me to think about conflicts around spinning and textile production and consider how this history is as political as it is material. The spinning wheel, though not original to the home, would have been the style of wheel used by enslaved women like Judy, Becky, and Comfort who lived and labored on Calvin Jones’s plantation in the 1820s. With great skill and patience, these women would have been able to produce large quantities of yarn in a relatively short time using this wheel. Several letters between Calvin and Temperance Jones suggest that Judy, Becky, and Comfort frequently refused to spin, despite being ordered to do so. This kind of resistance from enslaved workers refusing to spin is documented in other sources as well.
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A Tour of Holiday Toys
We have a delightful collection of toys at the museum, and every December we place them under the Christmas tree in the lobby for visitors to enjoy. This year we put together a a video showcasing some of our favorites.
Read moreWake Forest Community Archive Project
We are collecting donations of artifacts, essays, photographs, and recordings that document how the pandemic has affected Wake Forest residents.
Read more1920 Bird’s-Eye View
This 1920 aerial photo of campus and a portion of downtown is packed with tantalizing details! The image appeared in the 1921 Bulletin of Wake Forest […]
Read moreWorld War I Propaganda Posters, ca. 1918
A collection of American World War I propaganda posters, discovered by Bob and Liz Ford in the attic of their home on North Main Street, has […]
Read moreThe Medical Bags of Dr. Matthew Dalton Phillips
These cases were carried on horseback by a country doctor practicing medicine in rural North Carolina about a hundred years ago. Apart from the passage of time, they […]
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