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| Native American pieces owned by Sir Johnson at Old Fort Johnson & Johnson Hall |
What interested me the most about Sir Johnson was the way he
was able to transition from different cultures. As we were learning about the
life of William Johnson, I came to the conclusion that he preferred to be with
the Native Americans. Not only did he do business with them, but he
participated in their culture. From marrying a Native American woman in a
traditional Iroquois ceremony to dressing in their clothing, William Johnson
was essentially a part of the clan. Other Europeans saw the Native Americans as
inferior, but Johnson was able to look past their ways of life and treat them
as equals. If it weren’t for the smell and the greed of money, I think Sir
Johnson would have chosen to live the way of the Native Americans. What also
surprised me was the fact that our guide was able to admit that Sir Johnson was
a hoarder. When we think of historical wealthy people, we often see them as
extremely clean and proper without taking into account that they probably went
through the same mental exhaustion as we do now. I personally knew exactly what
not being able to see the walls of your house is like. By the end of my father’s
life, he would never throw anything away. Our beautiful (once a bar) basement
was covered head to toe in bags full of unwanted things. As a child I thought
this was amazing because I could pretend that they were mountains and climb all
over them, but now I can see how it was a serious problem.
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| Typical styled dresses in the 1700s&1800s |
Going to the Mabee Farm, a farm of the middle class, was
very different from the rest of our housing tours. The first big difference, as
our guide pointed out, is that the Mabee’s did not do anything extraordinary. They
were not part of any huge historical event and they were as we would say now a
middle class family. What they were able to do was preserve their house for us
to see an original Dutch styled house. I could not imagine having to share a
room with ten other people. It always amazes me to learn about how civilization
sustained lives without proper sanitation. But living during those times were
not as all bad as I make it out to be. The one thing that I do enjoy about
early civilization is the clothing. The two dresses shown above were owned by
Deborah Glen and Helen McLellan. The dress on the right is a wedding dress while
the dress on the left is an everyday style. I would not mind wearing these
dresses at all. Sometimes I actually wish it is socially acceptable to walk
around wearing those style of dresses. Fashion is something I enjoy a lot, and I
am always looking for new styles to fit in my wardrobe.
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| The De Sager boat on Mabee Farm |
At first, I was hesitant to go in the row boat because I felt
as though I was too tired to work my arms. But not only did I row for one ride,
but I was able to go a second turn. I have only went into a row boat when I was
a child, and I can only remember being so scared to tip over. But now I was excited
to be able to have the experience. My roommate has been trying to force me to
do crew with her up at RPI for about a year. I was never thinking about it
until now. I always thought I was not suitable for the water but after I was
told I row like a natural, I am feeling more than confident in my rowing
abilities. Although crew is different than on an actual row boat, I am up for a
challenge. Let’s keep in mind these are all thoughts and the chances of me
waking up at 4 am to row is slim to none.
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