Historic Huguenot Street

Thanks to Justin Wexler of Wild Hudson Valley for guiding visitors through the final nature walk of the year! Sponsored by Lothrop Associates.

This holiday season, get your craft on with a special series of holiday-themed craft demonstrations from Historic Huguenot Street! This week, we will be learning to create something that is fun, fragrant, and full of history: a pomander ball! Pomander balls date back to the Medieval Period, when disease and illness were far more common than they are today. In place of modern medicine, many herbal remedies were used in hopes of curing illness or warding it off entirely. One fa...cet of herbal medicine that many people believed could cure or prevent illness was aromatherapy, or the use of certain scents to promote healing and wellness. Pomander balls were created with aromatherapy in mind: people would take oranges and stud them with cloves, preserve them in a mixture of spices, then hang them in their homes to keep disease at bay. Some people would even wear them around their necks in order to remain healthy! Though pomander balls likely were not effective in keeping Medieval folks free of illness in their time, they did produce a lovely smell. It is for this reason that pomander balls saw a resurgence in popularity during the Victorian era. People of the Victorian era found that the combination of citrus, cloves, and other warm, fragrant, spices made a soothing and festive addition to holiday decorations and celebrations, and as such making, preserving, and hanging pomander balls became a holiday tradition during this period. Today, many people still create pomander balls to hang in their homes during the holidays! Thank you for tuning into another special holiday-themed craft demonstration from Historic Huguenot Street! We hope that you enjoyed learning how to make your own pomander ball today, and that you will stay tuned for more holiday craft demonstrations in the coming weeks. Have a safe and healthy holiday season!

Historic Huguenot Street has launched new virtual field trip experiences geared toward elementary and secondary grade youth! Several educational programs have been adapted into virtual field trip experiences suitable for implementation in remote and hybrid classrooms. Learn more and how to register on the museum's education programming page, or reach out to School Programming Coordinator Alyssa Bruno at [email protected]: https://www.huguenotstreet.org/programs https://www.dailyfreeman.com//article_dbb3feba-3995-11eb-b

Before this style of wick was invented, one would use a tool to extinguish their candle’s flame. These tools, most often referred to as candle snuffers, were typically made of pewter, iron, copper, or brass, and were most popular in use from the 1600s through the 1850s. These two examples from the Historic Huguenot Street Permanent Collection are composed of brass and iron, respectively. The iron snuffer is an excellent example of a particular candle-extinguishing tool know...n as a Pinchbeck snuffer. The scissor and bowl combination allowed for one to snip the wick, and catch the discarded pieces in the bowl. Both styles of snuffer allowed for candles to be extinguished neatly, without wax or soot being blown onto nearby surfaces or walls. This method of extinguishing also allowed for an additional degree of safety, as it contained the flaming wick and kept any sparks from landing on wooden tables and other flammable objects in the room. Two Candle Snuffers. Brass and Iron. HHS Permanent Collection, Gift of the George H. Way Collection, Staten Island, NY.

Grab a mug of hot cocoa and join us for part two of our new video series A Holiday at Home with Huguenot Street! This week, Arts & Interpretation Manager Amber Neilson shares the history of Saint Nicholas Day and the celebratory customs brought to the Hudson Valley by the Dutch colonists. Some parts of this history may seem quite familiar to you, and other partswell, you’re in for a surprise! If you’d like to pick up a copy of Delicious December, highlighted in this week’s video, order it online from our museum shop by visiting https://historic-huguenot-street-museum-shop.myshopify.com/ or stop by the DuBois Fort Visitor Center on the weekend!

Vote for Historic Huguenot Street in the Arts, History & Culture category for the Mid-Hudson Heroes campaign to win $2,500 from Ulster Savings Bank! You can vote once a day until December 13: