Main Chamber

 

The main chamber served as the master bedroom but often many of the plantation owner's children would retire to this room with their parents in the evening.  It was not uncommon to have several people sleeping in the same bed.  In the winter both doors to the room would be closed and a fire tended throughout the night.  This preserved wood by only heating this room and no other.

Note the William and Mary high chest of drawers (highboy) made of walnut in the year 1700.    The oak Queen Anne style dressing table (lowboy) was made in 1750.  The cradle is perhaps one of the more significant pieces.  It was made by a slave carpenter in 1790 for the infant daughter of William Augustine Washington  (Sarah Tayloe).

Beds in the Colonial period were often high and short (thus one "climbed into bed").  The high design elevated one above night drafts.  It was common for people to sleep in an upright position which reduced the chance of chest congestion from fluid buildup in the lungs.  The Colonial culture was vigilant in avoiding "evil vapors" invading ones body at night.  This included chest colds which could easily lead to pneumonia, bronchitis, or the dreaded "white death" (tuberculosis).  Tuberculosis killed many people in the 18th century (including George Washington's eldest half brother Lawrence). George Washington's father Augustine died from "catching a chill"  following a horse ride in an unexpected rain.   George Washington died from complications of "quinsy" which is a respiratory infection causing an inflammation of the throat.

The four poster bed was also made for Sarah Tayloe Washington around 1790.  It is made of tulip poplar wood and measures 6 feet in length.  It can accommodate a pull out bed below and has hangings that can be drawn to preserve heat in the cooler months.  Netting could be used in the summer to ward off insects.