The Spangler Connection

[L Verge]

When we first opened Surratt House, we did an exhibit entitled "Never Done," which discussed what women went through on a daily basis as housekeepers. One of our members at that time had an extensive collection of housekeeping tools to share.

One of our visitors to the museum was a 90-year-old gentleman who regaled his guide with his memories of seeing his mother doing chores. One thing we learned from him was his mother's system of cleaning woolen clothes in the days before dry cleaning establishments. She would wait until a very cold day, immerse the clothes in water, and then hang them on the line to dry with plenty of water still left in the fabric. When the clothes froze solid, she then took a rug beater to them to chip away the ice. Supposedly dirt particles in the fabric froze into the ice and were knocked out by the beater. Now, that was eco-friendly!