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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Meet Intern Lin Baumeister
This summer Methodist University senior Lin Baumeister will help museum staff catalog artifacts in the Calvin Jones House. Her work will help strengthen tours of the Calvin Jones House. To learn more about Lin, we asked her to complete a short questionnaire.
Read moreVirtual Tours
Experience the history of the original campus and Calvin Jones House through our virtual tours.
Read moreMuseum Holiday Card Gallery
We hope you enjoy this gallery of cards from the past several years, illustrated by local artist Shirley Matheny. And we wish you a Merry Christmas […]
Read moreChristmas at the Calvin Jones House
With its new interior restoration, the Calvin Jones House graciously welcomed the approximately 1,500 visitors who took a step back in time on the cold, rainy […]
Read moreRecreating the Olden Days of the Calvin Jones House
The historic Calvin Jones House is getting a complete interior overhaul in preparation for the 2014 Christmas Historic Home Tour, and this new floorcloth is certain […]
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