The Rochester Historical Society (RHS) and Museum, located at 58 Hanson Street, invites you to explore Rochester’s rich history.  RHS is open every Thursday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Visit www.rochesternh.gov/history to learn more.

A Message from RHS:

A SPINNING TALE THAT WILL AMAZE YOU

In our country’s colonial history, if you needed a coat or shirt, or “breeches,” you likely had to make them. In order to make them, you had to know how to operate a spinning wheel. Why? In order to make cloth materials, you had to have fibrous thread. Cloth could be purchased, of course, but that would have been costly. It was also a general desire during the early years of settlement to not rely on Britain for too many basic needs. (We became independent before the Declaration of Independence.) Growing flax and harvesting it yourself would mean you could use a spinning wheel to create linen cloth. The wool from sheep could be used to create yarn, and from yarn the knitting process would enable you to create warm clothing. Patterns could be found and used to make sweaters and shirts, or you could create your own.

Are you confused yet? Today, we just go to Wal-Mart or order materials and clothing online. Not so in the 1700s. A young woman in that time period would attentively learn the craft of spinning wheel operation at a young age as she watched her mother make yarn by a warm fire in the long winter evenings. It would be a skill of immeasurable value. The “feel” of the wheel and what it did was a delicate task to master. Come to our event at the Rochester Historical Society on May 8th and learn some basics about how it was done.

Our speaker on May 8th will be a local fiber artist whose name is Hope Fridy. Since 1976, Ms. Fridy has been enjoying a passion of hers: sharing her joy of working with antique spinning wheels and learning all she can about the delicate task of producing fibers for the making of cloth. She is currently the Vice-President of the NH Spinners and Dyers Guild. She is also a member of the Maine Spinners Registry.

Come to our speaking event at the Rochester Historical Society on May 8th at 6 p.m. sharp and meet this engaging and knowledgeable lady. To ensure that maximum enjoyment of her detailed explanations can be achieved, Ms. Fridy will wear a “hands-free” microphone so she can do her demonstrations without having to worry about being clearly heard by the audience as she operates her spinning equipment.

Ralph Montgomery, President, RHS