Keeler In The Community
Learn How Flax Becomes Linen at KTM&HC’s Free #HandsOnHistory Family Talk This Sunday
October 28, 2021
How did Ridgefielders use plant fibers to make cloth in the 18th century? At Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center this Sunday, October 31, Chief Curator Catherine Prescott (pictured here in the #HandsOnHistory exhibit) will lead interactive demonstrations and presentations about linen production for audiences of all ages.
Date/October 28, 2021
Ridgefield, Conn.— On Sunday, October 31, head to Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center for FREE Family Talks about linen production with KTM&HC Chief Curator Catherine Prescott. Through engaging and interactive presentations, Prescott will demonstrate how Ridgefield farms would convert flax they grew into linen thread and cloth. Visitors can stop by any time between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to learn and participate in activities: a great family-friendly event!
#HandsOnHistory Family Talks are popular annual events at KTM&HC featuring interactive exhibits and skilled artisan demonstrations. This year, these interactive, drop-in programs and demonstrations provide opportunities for audiences of all ages to learn about historic practices related to fibers and textiles. Thanks to generous funding from M&T Bank, site admission – including a museum tour, entry to our current #HandsOnHistory and “Tying the Knot” exhibits, and full access to all our #HandsOnHistory Family Talks – is free every Sunday from September 30 to November 7.
About #HandsOnHistory 2021, “Threading the Needle: From Field to Fabric”: From sheep to wool, from flax to linen, from mulberry to silk: until the 19th century and the rise of the industrialized textile factory, many Ridgefielders were creating textiles at home, from cultivating raw materials to weaving fabric. The exhibition highlights the production of the three types of textile fibers commonly produced in Ridgefield and the region – linen, wool, and silk – from the field to finished fabric to their use in clothing and decorations. Presented with the complementary exhibit “Tying the Knot: Ridgefield Weddings in the 20th Century,” #HandsOnHistory is sponsored by M&T Bank and The Fountain Inn.
Purchase tickets in advance at www.keelertavernmuseum.org/events or on site at the Visitor Center.