“The Hoxie House”
Built circa 1675, the Hoxie House is one of the oldest houses in Massachusetts. The house looks large but there are only 5 rooms. A large kitchen/eating area, living room, a master bedroom and 2 smaller bedrooms. This must have been very cramped for the first family who lived there – they had 13 children.
Some interesting facts:
- Part of the kitchen has a summer kitchen.
- There’s a staircase leading to the bedrooms but the master bedroom also has a ladder going into the kitchen.
- Mattresses were filled with hay and laid on ropes that criss-crossed the bed frame, hence the phrase “sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.”
- The chest of draws is a common piece of furniture in bedrooms today but in the 1600s it was a necessity. Closets were rare because among all the things taxed by the English, doors were one of those items taxed. So out of necessity the chest of drawers were invented.
- The parents bed was interesting, there was a toddler bed that pulled out from the end, something like a trundle bed. Once a new child was born the previous child slept on this trundle until they were old enough to sleep with their brothers or sisters, or until the next child came along.
Sandwich, Massachusetts
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