What’s New At the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum: Dancing, The Prodigal Son, Around The Grounds

From the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum:

August 12, 2020

Everyday Living at WDS

In this week’s Everyday Living at WDS: dancing with the 18th-century stars! Did you know George Washington loved to dance? According to Mount Vernon, Washington once described dancing as “so agreeable and innocent an amusement.” First-hand accounts say he was extremely good at it – and always the center of attention. Dancing was one of the few activities where men and women mingled socially. Colonial dances included the minuet, country dance, hornpipes and jigs, reels, allemandes and more.

We believe the front, upper bed chamber in the Silas Deane House was used as a ballroom. Clues include evidence of a sprung floor and the fact that this room has mitered corners, a detail generally reserved for public areas. Musicians would set up outside the ballroom on the second-floor landing where the music would fill the ballroom and drift down the stairs.

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This press release was produced by the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. The views expressed are the author's own.