FIREPLACE BELLOWS: UNADORNED TO TURTLE-BACK

By the mid-1800s, American makers had transformed a utilitarian fireplace tool, the bellows, by rounding and decorating its face to complement stylish interiors. Surviving examples are colorful and surprisingly affordable for collectors.

Ware Petznick

EYRE HALL: A MICROCOSM OF CHESAPEAKE HISTORY

For four centuries one Virginia family has owned and lived on the same Eastern Shore estate, accumulating family treasures and Chesapeake history. Still a family home today, its fine period interiors, formal gardens, and family heirlooms reflect the lives of those who lived and worked there.

Cary Carson

DELAWARE SILVER

The work of silversmiths in the three lower Pennsylvania counties, which formed the Delaware colony in 1704, rivals objects made by Philadelphia artisans in beauty and craftsmanship. You can see hundreds of examples at the Biggs Museum of American Art in Wilmington.

Jeanmarie Andrews

REVERING, RESTORING, AND REPRODUCING HISTORY

The Hobbs family never went far from their roots in northeastern North Carolina, where they built a tradition of fine craftsmanship and hospitality. Their home and other houses on their property are a testament to Ben’s award-winning cabinetmaking skills.

J. Eric Braun

FINDING DORY: THE BOAT (AND SHOP) THAT BUILT THE NEW ENGLAND FISHERY

The small Massachusetts boat shop Simeon Lowell opened in 1793 made its fortune by modifying early boat designs to produce the banks dory. The stable, space-saving craft enabled fishermen to catch their fill along the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. The site still operates as a boat-building shop and museum..

Winfield Ross

VINES IN EARLY AMERICAN LANDSCAPES

Long valued by Native Americans, wild vines growing in nearly every region fascinated European settlers, who transplanted them to cover unattractive landscape features and help shade their homes. We look at some of the most popular species and how to use them in your landscape.

Camilla Wilcox

FROM TAVERN TO HOTEL: COMMERCIAL LODGING, DINING, AND DRINKING IN EARLY AMERICA

Colonists traveling long distances sought respite along the journey at taverns offering food, drink, and a bed. As the country grew, places specifically for eating, drinking, or sleeping emerged, eventually evolving into grand hotels in cities across the country by the mid-1800s.

Robert F. Moss

PHILIPSBURG MANOR TELLS ALL

The Philipse family built a mill and farm complex in New York as a provisioning plantation for their merchant business. As with Southern plantations, it relied on the labor and skills of enslaved Africans for its success. Today educators at Historic Hudson Valley share their stories with visitors.

Jeanmarie Andrews