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Colonial-Era Wool Production + Buckskins & Hog Slaughters
Resource ID: 8366
Type: podcast episode, audio
share:
- UPDATED: 6.29.2025
- food + drink, history, culture
- colonial America, wool, buckskins, hogs
date:
6.1.2023
length:
1 hr 34 min
podcast:
creator:
Philippe Willis
guest:
Mary Kate Claytor
notes:
. . .
description:
Mary Kate Claytor is the Associate Director of Interpretation at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia. After a bit of background about this unique living history museum, Mary Kate describes in detail wool production for a yeoman farmer in the 1600-1800's: starting with sheep shearing, wool washing, stale urine and lanolin, through to carding & combing, drop spindles & spinning wheels, historical & natural dyes, and finally ending on a fabric called linsey-woolsey. From there we move on to another category of historical clothing, buckskins. Mary Kate recounts learning how to hide tan while working at Natural Bridge's Monacan village. Then we switch from clothing to foodways by reflecting on both profound & disturbing experiences while taking part in hog slaughters & fowl processing. We end on hearing of how Mary Kate's historical hobbies connect her to her great-grandmother.