Through The Window Glass:

Historic Homes at Mystic Seaport and What We Can Learn from Them

by Nancy Hughes, Mystic Seaport Educator The Burrows House

A
lthough Mystic Seaport is known primarily
as a maritime museum, its 19th Century
recreated village is a delightful surprise.
Visitors explore the village by strolling the unpaved
streets, taking a carriage ride and venturing into
numerous small buildings and shops. Among
these are two historic homes where the buildings
themselves and their contents give us a glimpse of
everyday life for the residents of a New England In the main bed chamber, bed curtains and a bed
coastal community. warmer leaning by the fireplace suggest the challenges of
The study of “Material Culture” can most simply keeping warm in this early New England home.
be defined as the relationship between people and In the children’s room, there is a covered ceramic The cast iron stove, fueled by wood and later coal,
things. A history museum provides the opportunity chamber pot placed at the foot of the trundle bed as a Tucked between the Print Shop and the Cooperage became widely available in America after 1834, and
to view and sometimes use objects from the past and pleasant alternative to a midnight trip to the outhouse or is the Burrows House, a modest two story dwelling by mid-century, had largely replaced the open hearth
The carage stoop, located curbside on an unpaved privy located at the rear of the property. built between 1805 and 1815 and originally located for cooking and baking. We may also observe that
should challenge the viewer to make connections
street, allowed visitors to safely and comfortably a short distance away in what is now downtown store-bought soap is now available.
with the present. As educators we can encourage
disembark from a horse-drawn carriage. Mystic. In 1860, it was purchased by Seth W. Now this is interesting. Mrs. Burrows apparently
students to carefully observe and describe the
Welcome! Please step to your left, into the parlor. Ah, now we’re in the kitchen . . . the heart of the Burrows, who raised it up, and built a storefront had a millinery business. Where do you think she
“things” they see, and guide them to think about
First time here? Take a look around. What can home. Did you wonder how your afternoon tea below, where he sold groceries and provisions from got the materials she needed to make hats? Does she
what these objects can tell us within an historical and
you learn about the family, just by looking at might be prepared? What is our source of heat? 1860 until 1875. As we enter the living quarters, use any specialized equipment? What else can you
cultural framework.
the “artifacts” in this room? Are they educated? How will we bake a cake or prepare some toast? we peek into a small parlor, and what is that we see observe about women’s fashion?
Object analysis, whether it takes place in the
Wealthy? Does anything you see give you a clue as Who will do the dishes? Soap? Water? front and center on the table – a new invention?
classroom or on a field trip, challenges students
to the time period? What could it possibly be used for? Do we see
to use critical thinking skills for inquiry -based
learning. Objects are more than meet the eye; they anything else in the room that might give us a clue as
tell stories and make history come alive. What to the time period?
follows is a “tour” through two historic houses at
Mystic Seaport with photographs and descriptions of
different objects within the houses.

The Buckingham-Hall House

Inside the large stone fireplace we observe pots

This pleasing clapboard clad center chimney
colonial was originally located near the west bank
of the Connecticut River in Saybrook (now called
Old Saybrook), Connecticut and was transported
by barge to Mystic Seaport in 1951 and carefully
restored. Here, we get a sense of what life might
have been like for the Buckinghams, a farming
family who occupied the house from 1768 until
1833.
Now, what is this that we see in front of the house?
What can we infer from its location? What is its
purpose? Does it give us any clues as to how a
guest visiting the family might arrive?
On the desk, we see an open book, a quill pen,
inkstand and a pewter whale oil lamp. Other period
furnishings such as the wallpaper, carpeting, tall
clock and ornately carved period table suggest a
prosperous and educated household of the early 19th
century.
If you were a member of the family, you might
be invited to ascend the stairs and view the
bedchambers. Interesting bed linens. . . . and what is
that leaning by the fireplace? Why is there a covered
pot at the foot of the bed? What do these items tell
us about daily life, especially in the winter?
hanging from a moveable iron crane suspended
above the open fire. Heat is regulated by moving
the crane or by varying the length of the hanging
S-shaped hooks. Baking is accomplished by placing
hot coals under and upon the lid of a cast-iron bake
kettle... There is a toaster, a long-handled device
with a rotating vertical rack for toasting both sides of
the bread over the open fire. We can observe baskets
and boxes for the access of tinder, kindling and logs,
a wooden bucket for retrieving water from a well,
By the 1860’s, most middle class households had Living in a coastal community with regular
two large tin dish pans for washing, and a bar of
a stereoscope, a device enabling a person to view a schooner delivery service; Mrs. Burrows could order
soap, most likely made at home from lye and animal
photograph in three dimensions. This is a very fancy specialized domestic and imported goods such as
fat.
one in a beautiful hinged wooden case. fancy ribbons and exotic feathers. She also had a
Beyond the kitchen door one can tour a garden and
Proceed through the narrow hallway, and here we sewing machine. Hats were very popular; a proper
orchard planted with heirloom fruits and vegetables,
are in the kitchen. How is it different from Mrs. lady was not seen about town without one. The
and explore the function of the outbuildings.
Buckingham’s kitchen? Do we see any changes in dress on the mannequin shows the current fashion
Throughout your visit, there is the opportunity to
the way daily tasks are performed? in women’s dresses in the 1870’s a full-length skirt,
ask questions of a museum interpreter, usually found
corseted waist and bustle.
cooking in the kitchen.

Did You Know
The English word “pen” comes from the Latin word “penna”, meaning
feather. Early pens were “dip pens”; that is, they worked by dipping a
pointed object into ink and transferring the ink to a writing surface such
as paper. George Washington and Samuel Buckingham both used “quill”
pens made from the first five flight feathers of a large bird – usually
a goose or turkey. The tip was skillfully cut at an angle using a small,
specialized knife called a “penknife”. By the mid 1830’s, there was mass
production of “nib” pens. These consisted of a steel tip with capillary
channels attached to a handle, usually made of wood. This was the
durable and affordable pen most likely used by Mr. Burrows in 1870.
C
Literature, Art & Science
onnections
Mystic Seaport’s main website (mysticseaport.org) features a section entitled “LEARN”. The
link below offers the opportunity for object observation and analysis as a classroom activity or in
preparation for a visit to Mystic Seaport.
http://www.mysticseaport.org/wp-content/uploads/Instructions-and-link-to-photos-for-Mystic-Seaport-
object-observation-activity.pdf Look for items you may find in the Buckingham or Burrows houses!
• Visit our primary source website called “Mystic Seaport for Educators”: http://educators. Common Core State Standard:
mysticseaport.org There are interesting articles by local teachers or museum staff that provide ELA-Literacy. RH 6-8 4 • ELA Lteracy RH 6-858* ELA-Literacy
fascinating information on select objects from the Seaport collection. The entry entitled RH 6-8.6 •ELA - Literacy R15.1 - ELA - Literacy
“Stereoscopes: An Eye on the 19th Century” gives us insight about the “new invention” seen in the R15.2 - ELA - Literacy R15.3
Burrows parlor.