24
The front hallway in Battlefield House Museum.1994
25
A view of the front hallway from the rear or north side of the house can be seen in this image. It is believed that when the Gage House was originally built, there was a road running to the south of the house that no longer exists. Today, the back of the house faces King Street and is often confused for the front.26
Stenciled design that was recreated on the hallway walls of the Battlefield House Museum.2003
Battlefield House Museum
27
The front hallway of Battlefield House Museum boasts some of the original stenciling that covered the walls in the 1830s. This stenciling was uncovered during a restoration in the 1970s and is preserved behind a sheet of plexiglass today. The stenciling, which is rare in early Ontario houses, has been reproduced throughout the front and second floor hallways.In the 19th century, when imported wallpaper would have been expensive, a stenciler would have traveled from house to house with several stencils. Upon entering a house where stenciling was wanted, the stenciler came to an agreement with the owner wherein he would often decorate the home in exchange for food and lodging.
28
The Parlour in Battlefield House Museum.1999
29
The Parlour is a very large and striking room. Originally this room was divided into two rooms, with the smaller room used for sleeping and later as an office. All of the furnishings in Battlefield House date back to the early 19th century, although very few pieces are original to the home. Some of the original pieces include the stencilled chairs in the parlour and the four poster bed in the master bedroom.When the Gage Family lived here, this room would have been used fairly regularly in the evening. Furthermore, this room was used as the site for Methodist gatherings.
30
The Keeping Room in Battlefield House Museum.1999
31
The Keeping Room was a very important room in the house as this was where all of the cooking took place. Several other daily activities took place in this room as well, including spinning and school lessons.It was the woman's job to cook and cooking was a very dangerous task. Women had to be wary of the fire they were cooking over at all times because they did not want to get burnt. Getting burnt would more than likely lead to infection and in the early 19th century infections were quite often fatal.
32
The Larder in Battlefield House Museum.1999
33
The Larder was a pantry of sorts, used for washing up, food storage and preparation. Some of the items in the Larder include a coffee grinder and a mortar and pestle. Many are often awestruck by the large white cone that towers over the other items on the table. Some guess that this white mountain is a juicer, others opt for salt. In actual fact, this is the way white sugar was shipped from the West Indies to the mainland. White sugar was very expensive around the time of the War of 1812 and as a result, became a type of status symbol for those who could afford it.34
The Master Bedroom in Battlefield House Museum.1999
35
If we travel up the staircase and turn to the right, we will notice the Master Bedroom. This was the room where James and Mary Gage slept. The youngest child would also sleep in this room.The bed in this picture is original to the Gage family. What people often notice is the bed's small size. The reason for the bed's length has more to do with the logistics behind sleeping in those times rather than the height of the sleepers. Although science tells us that people in the 19th century were shorter than the people of today, the difference in height was not as dramatic as one might suspect. For example many who enlisted in the army were over six feet tall. Furthermore, famous political figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Peter the Great were 6 foot 4 and 6 foot 10 respectively.
In those times,many held the belief that if they slept lying flat their lungs would collapse. In a time that lacked useful knowledge of infections or sickness, the collapsing of the lungs was often attributed to demons. In a modern sense we might explain these demons as simply a nagging respiratory illness. Because of this thinking, people slept to support their upper backs as you can see by the cylinder shaped pillows at the head of the bed. If anyone out there is familiar with how doctors of today remedy respiratory illness, then you know all to well that these early settlers were ahead of their time with their idea of creating a clear airway to their lungs via supporting their backs.
This room also boasts one of the new modern luxuries of the period, the commode or convenience chair. In an era of chamber pots, the commode ushered in a new wave of comfort and ultimately inspired the design for the modern day toilet.
36
The Children's Bedroom in Battlefield House Museum.1999
37
Of the four rooms on the second floor, two have been restored and furnished as bedrooms and two house exhibit space.This is the Children's Bedroom. On the east wall, is a sampler made by James and Mary Gage's eldest daughter Catherine that dates to 1816.
Underneath the larger bed in the room sits a trundle bed. This bed would be tucked under the larger bed during the day and at night would be pulled out for sleeping. The support for both beds is constructed of ropes, which had to be pulled tight. On top of those ropes would sit a tick, or mattress that was filled with straw- which was notorious for attracting insects. As a result, the rope support bed was where the saying "sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," originated.
 |
 |
 |
 |