Historic Cold Spring Village

Historic Cold Spring Village. Women’s Heritage Trail. , Historic Cold Spring Village is an outdoor living history museum that interprets farmwomen’s domestic life in the mid-19th century as part of its activities and exhibits. While men struggled to raise crops and care for animals on the small farms once found in abundance in Cape May County, their wives and daughters faced long days of hard labor in the home. Household tasks that now can be done in no more than an hour or two were once all-day projects. Washing a family’s clothes required filling enormous iron cauldrons with water, starting a fire beneath them and stirring the clothing with a large wooden agitator. Cooking meals was done with heavy iron cookware in a fireplace where the threat of burns was a constant danger. There was also sewing, spinning and, of course caring for the children. Before the advent of domestic labor-saving devices in the 20th century, it was often said that “a woman’s work is never done.” Women of the Early American era would undoubtedly agree.,

“Women were a perpetual presence on the American agricultural landscape.” –Annette Baxter, Historian.

, [Captions:] , Historic Cold Spring Village reflects the social and agricultural history of Cape May and the women who contributed to its rich history. Farm women are included in the New Jersey Women’s Heritage Trail because of the integral role they played in the domestic life of their families., The New Jersey Women’s Heritage Trail highlights a collection of historic sites located around the state that represent the significant contributions women made to the history of our state. The Heritage Trail brings to life the vital role of women in New Jersey’s past and present.