Matheson House Courtyard
To the immediate right of Matheson House is a small courtyard in which various activities are held throughout the summer. On 27 June 2002, there were displays showing visitors a glimpse about Perth's past.
Much of the area in and around Perth were settled by ex-soldiers and their families. Families were provided with
assistance from the government which included money, food, and tools. Here is a display of the typical toolset provided:
These include (from left to right):
- Felling Axe - for cutting down trees
- Broad axe - for squaring trees that are cut down.
- Adze - for cutting notches or dovetail joints in logs
- Froe - splitting shingles or longer pieces of wood (rip saws were practically unknown at this time)
- Hammer - wooden and metal types shown
- Auger - for boring holes
- Gimlet - smaller version of the Auger
- Draw Knife - for shaping wood
- Hand saw - shown above
Here we have demonstrated the construction of a very long handled wooden spoon. The long handle allowed the woman to remain safely back from the fire while stirring. After childbirth, fire was the major cause of death amoung women of the time. It was too easy for their long garments to contact the open fires while they were cooking.
The blacksmith had extremly important skills in the early times of Perth.
With a hearth, anvils and several iron handling and shaping tools, the skilled blacksmith could make many things, from a pot hook to sets of hinges.
The courtyard also has a permanent display of the open cooking hearth. Matheson House had such a hearth in a separate building
somewhere on the property. This display, alhough it has a roof is open to allow demonstrations. There is an enclosed hearth, and an open hearth. The closed hearth would be used
for baking breads, cookies and custards.
Here the Widow Wilson demonstrates how the cook would stoke the fire set in the enclosed part of the hearth. After sufficient heating
the coals would be removed, the oven cleaned with a hearth broom (just showing to the right), and the bread loaves placed directly in the closed hearth.
