The family that occupied the 1678 Bushnell House in Old Saybrook were weavers as well as farmers. Each spring Bushnell Farm hosts activities that that allow visitors to step back to a time when hand-woven cloth was derived from the family’s own plants and animals.
On Saturday, May 19, visitors to this privately-owned 22 acre farm site can witness Warner Lord demonstrate the difficult, multi-step process that turned the flax plan into a thread that could then be woven into linen on the family loom. The Loom House, with weaver Bev Lewis, is one of the six original buildings on the property that will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free to the public, on May 19.
Sheep owned by Herb and Sherry Clark of Essex, who own the property, will be shorn of their winter wool by Lara Sullivan of East Haddam, Conn. Sullivan has a busy shearing schedule and she hopes to be at Bushnell Farm around 11:30 a.m.
Westbrook’s Gary Noth, a life-long archaeologist and primitive technologist, will be at the wigwam in the Grove at the Farm talking about Indian tool technology and their preparations for spring.
In the Bushnell Farm House, one of the five oldest houses in Connecticut, they’ll be turning out the bedbugs from the mattresses; ironing without electricity; and taking advantage of the early fish run. In the Barn, we’ll be sharpening the tools for haying and looking over the seeds saved from last year’s crops and getting ready to plant.
Bushnell Farm is an educational site that provides school and public programs devoted to preserving the agricultural and enterprising past in Connecticut through seasonal events and hands-on activities.
If you have questions, call the Curator at (860) 767-0674.