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Join Scotchtown staff at 16120 Chiswell Ln in Beaverdam, VA to learn how 18th-century women used spinning, weaving, and dyes as political tools. This two-hour talk and manor house tour makes the homespun movement tangible and surprising.
Join Scotchtown staff at 16120 Chiswell Ln in Beaverdam, VA to learn how 18th-century women used spinning, weaving, and dyes as political tools. This two-hour talk and manor house tour makes the homespun movement tangible and surprising.
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Operated by Preservation Virginia · Beaverdam, Virginia
At Scotchtown, just outside Beaverdam, Virginia, a compact manor and its grounds hold a quieter front line of the American Revolution. Resistance Through Textiles is a two-hour program at Scotchtown that peels back the domestic strategies women used to support independence. Led by Scotchtown staff, the presentation and subsequent manor house tour focus on the homespun movement and how everyday cloth became political.
The program runs at 11am and 1pm and combines a focused discussion with a close-up look at the manor house at 16120 Chiswell Ln, Beaverdam, VA. Visitors hear how spinning, weaving, mending, and dyeing were not just chores but acts of civic participation. Period tools and textile fragments are used to illustrate technique, and staff interpret how economic pressure, boycotts, and local resourcefulness shaped clothing choices and material culture.
Wandering the floors of the manor house after the lecture, you can read physical traces of family life—patches on garments, repaired linens, storage for raw fibers—and connect them to wider trade restrictions and the push for self-reliance in the 18th century. The program makes an abstract history tactile: the weight of a spindle, the rhythm of a wheel, the palette of natural dyes drawn from Virginia's fields.
Why book this experience? The program reframes a historic site as a place of small-scale resistance and hands-on ingenuity. It's especially well suited to travelers who value cultural context combined with sensory learning; the talk is concise but rich, and the manor tour grounds the ideas in real architecture and objects. For families and history buffs, the hands-on focus encourages questions and close observation.
Practical details: the program lasts two hours and includes both the talk and the guided manor house tour. Expect light indoor walking and standing—dress for comfort and check the weather if you plan to explore the surrounding grounds. The site is easily reached from the Richmond metro area and offers parking at the address above and visitor signage.
Local staff often tie the homespun narrative to broader threads of economy, gender, and resistance, so you leave with fresh angles on Revolutionary-era life. Whether you're a textile enthusiast, a history teacher, or a curious traveler, Resistance Through Textiles turns cloth into a map of politics and daily survival—small things that mattered then and still shape how we read the past.
Plan to arrive 10–15 minutes early to check in, bring a notebook for details about fibers and dye sources, and allow time afterward to stroll the lawn and any nearby interpretive panels. Admission and booking details are available via the referral link. Accessibility details are handled by site staff; if you have mobility concerns, contact Scotchtown ahead of your visit to confirm accommodations and routes through the property.
easy.
2 hours.
Light walking and standing; suitable for most visitors with basic mobility.
The full program runs two hours and includes the lecture followed by a guided tour of the manor house.
The program is offered at Scotchtown; the manor house at 16120 Chiswell Ln, Beaverdam, VA is the central meeting point.
Yes; the program is family-friendly, though younger children may need help staying engaged during the lecture portion.
Handling is restricted; staff may demonstrate tools, but original artifacts should not be touched unless explicitly allowed.
Yes, the site offers parking at the address; follow on-site signage when you arrive.
Contact Scotchtown ahead of your visit to discuss mobility needs and alternate routing through the property.
The program centers on the 18th-century homespun movement and shows how domestic labor intersected with Revolutionary politics.
Avoid touching artifacts and stay on designated paths; staff-curated rules protect fragile textiles and landscape habitats.
Preservation Virginia is a Richmond, Virginia-based organization that operates and interprets historic sites and educational programs across the state. The organization presents guided tours, hands-on workshops, documentary-style tours, and virtual programs that highlight Virginia’s colonial, revolutionary, and 19th-century history. Preservation Virginia’s portfolio of sites and programs includes Bacon’s Castle (built in 1665 and recognized as North America’s oldest brick home), the historic landing site at Cape Henry Lighthouse, Smith’s Fort with surviving earthworks and an 18th-century manor house, Patrick Henry’s Scotchtown—the remaining house of the famed orator—and the John Marshall House in Richmond. Programming spans in-person tours and remote learning: the John Marshall House offers a 45-minute tour; the Courtmaker Documentary Tour of the Marshall House provides an intimate look at family artifacts; the Beginners Genealogy Research Workshop at Bacon’s Castle is taught by genealogist Sarah Carson; and multiple virtual programs bring lighthouse history and Revolutionary War sea battles to students. Educational offerings also include the Augustus Hodges virtual program, focused on Willis Hodges—Cape Henry Lighthouse’s first African American keeper and abolitionist—and the Life of a Lighthouse Keeper kids program. Preservation Virginia’s events and tours emphasize primary sources, artifacts, architecture, and site-specific stories to connect visitors with Virginia’s past. All descriptions and program leaders are provided in third-person; visitors should consult Preservation Virginia’s official listings for booking and availability.
Book with Preservation Virginia