Existing comment:
Wash Day:
Slaves spent at least one day a week cleaning the many clothes used by the Dents and Grants. Children hauled water from the creek or a well for heating in the small, deep fireplace in this laundry room. Using lye soap and a washboard, the laundress soaked and scrubbed the clothes clean. The heat could be unbearable in the summertime and the scalding hot water and harsh soap left her hands chapped and raw. She then rinsed the clothes in another kettle of hot, clean water. After wringing them out, she hung them to dry on a wooden rack or over bushes and tree limbs. |