Rub Dub Dub. . .

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, the Tennessee History Festival included a number of exhibits. Some of the exhibitors set up "camps" complete with campfires, shelter and more. Note the day's wash hanging on the line, as well as the four, metal tubs.

The two in the middle were actually bathing tubs. The one on the right is styled more towards the eastern (as in Oriental) style, where the tub was longer so that the bather could lie down in it. The one with the higher back was of the western style. The high back allowed the bather to sit up while bathing. Of course, his/her legs hung out of the thing. The other two tubs were mainly vessels in which the early settlers washed anything - clothing, food, the kids.

Of course, the water had to be poured in or pumped in by hand, and removed the same way. To keep the water (and bather) somewhat warm, the settlers moved them near a fire. Several bathers would share the same water, warming it up a bit with fresh water heated on the fire.

One interesting side fact is that many thought that bathing, especially in winter, was not good for you. . .that it caused chills and fevers and such. In medieval times, people believed that water carried all sorts of diseases, and that belief stuck for hundreds of years. In 1835, Philadelphia's leaders tried to pass a law banning bathing during the winter. It failed. In 1845, Boston's leaders forbade bathing except in cases of medical need.