Berlin Woolworks was an embroidery style very similar to what we call needlepoint, usually done with wool yarn in a simple cross stitch or tent stitch on canvas. Colors were vibrant, as natural dyes were being replaced with chemical and, by the 1850s, synthetic aniline dyes; and varied hues allowed careful shading to give three-dimensional effects to
the completed pieces. Most patterns were supplied by German publishers, first produced in the early 19th century in Berlin and printed on grid paper in black and white with the colors hand-painted on the pattern. In the U. S. in the 1840s, patterns were printed in women’s magazines and became “all the rage”. Besides these patterns, Clouds Hill has a framed floral piece done by Caroline van Son, and a beaded square pattern, as the patterns could be adopted for beadwork, with 1 bead per square.
A great way to pass a cold, wintry day!
​These weighted clubs made of wood were popular – and are becoming so again – for circular strength training due to the incredible joint health and mobility benefits. They originated in Persia, India and Egypt, where they were utilized by warriors and wrestlers to develop upper body strength and endurance, and improve mobility and coordination. In India, they are called “jori” or “mudgar”; and 19th century British soldiers stationed in India brought them back to Europe and North America. In the late 1800s and early 1900s they became a staple in gymnasiums, military training programs and school physical education programs. The gentlemen of Clouds Hill worked out with them at home – perfect to maintain condition during the winter months.
In the coves off Greenwich Bay when the ice was thick enough, one could often see men spearing eels through holes dug through the ice. American eels, Anguilla rostrata, are a catadromous fish – in other words, they spawn in salt water and migrate back into freshwater to live out their lives. All American and European eels spawn in one location – the Sargasso Sea – south of Bermuda. After hatching, they stay until about 1 year old, at which point they are called glass eels, as they are transparent. They migrate towards the coasts of North America and Europe in the Gulf Stream, leaving it to head towards the mouths of rivers and streams, where they move upstream into ponds and lakes. Glass eels become elvers (juvenile eels) when they gain pigmentation and will remain in fresh water 10 to 14 years before returning to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die. Fishing for eels is usually by eel pots or eel spearing. In the winter, the eels will dig into soft and muddy bottoms and, basically, go dormant. By standing in the bow of a boat or through a hole in the ice, plunging the spear up and down into the bottom, eels will be speared and removed. Through the 1970s, one could buy eels from Clarence Bennett at his shack in Apponaug; and “Nancy” Allen could remember accompanying her mother, Helen Slater Allen, to buy eels on the waterfront in Greenwich
Cove. This spear is displayed in the Center for the Outdoors at Clouds Hill.
This small wooden stool sits on 4 bulbous feet, has a handle for carrying, and an embroidered top which opens to reveal a square zinc “flask” to be filled with very hot water. A lady sitting in a carriage or in a cold room in a house or at church, would place her feet on it to keep them warm. It also made a warm and handy seat for a small child – especially in a crowded carriage. Travel to and from Clouds Hill during the 19th century was by carriage or passenger train (with 2 convenient stations in Cowesett as well as one in Apponaug and another in East Greenwich. Since Elizabeth Ives Reed was usually the person who had to pick up her brothers returning by train from Providence every evening, I’m sure she appreciated this heater during the winter months!
