Join us as we explore a new part of historic Wake Forest every month, including the Wake Forest Historic District, Glen Royall Mill Village, Downtown, the […]
Read moreTag: Royall Cotton Mill
Intern Reflections: The Material Culture of Textile Production
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.
Read moreThe British Connection
News stories about William and Kate bring to mind all things British… including the excellent but nearly forgotten story of young World War II refugees safely […]
Read moreMill Village Artifacts
The artifacts recently brought to a ladies’ luncheon at the new museum gave a fascinating glimpse into the history kept in our very own homes. Members […]
Read moreThings with Wheels
This mail cart was used to shuttle US Mail from the Train Depot to the Royall Cotton Mill on the northern edge of town. Mail was […]
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