The Hoxie House

Located in Sandwich, the Hoxie House is one of the oldest houses in the state.  It was built some time before 1675 but the exact year isn't known.  It's a saltbox shape, as seen on the sign.  I actually forgot to take a shot of the house.  Sheila & I went for the tour after our cemetery visits and lunch.

Rev. Smith was the first resident.  The Hoxie family didn't take possession until the 1800s.

The tour was very thorough and the items on display are real period pieces from the late 1600s and 1700s.

It was a very hard way of life, esp. for children.  This cradle is very long because they would often hold more than one baby, up to at least age 3 when they would be tethered to the wall to keep them out of the way.

Or they'd be tied to the potty chair.

Those are real delft plates from Amsterdam.  Those other plates and tankards are made from pewter which contained lead and only the men used them.  There was a lot of lead poisoning due to that.  The women ate off wood slabs and the rest of the food would be put in a wooden trough for the children to eat with their hands.

There are 2 rooms downstairs, this loft and a large room upstairs.

Shawme Pond.  The old cemetery is right across the water.

We enjoyed the tour, but our one complaint was that it was just waaayyyy too long for a two room house.  The ceilings are low so it's very 'close' in there, especially on a warm, humid day.  There is also nowhere to sit as all the sitting furniture is roped off. My foot was killing and Sheila's back was shot, and we were both getting dizzy from the heat.

The second room.

This trunk has an amazing locking system on the inside lid.

Creepy doll.

Cobbler's bench.

Stairs

Trundle bed upstairs.  The kids would be crammed onto the trundle whatever way they fit best.

An exquisite cabinet.  There was one downstairs too.

The admission is a reasonable $4 and the guides are very knowledgeable about the history of the house and it's owners.  Definitely worth a stop.