The fireplace, around which the family gathered, was one of the most
important features in the Jamestown home. Its fire offered warmth in
winter, afforded light at night, and cooked the family meals during the
day. An oven, usually found at the back or at one side of the fireplace,
baked the family bread and other foods. About the fireplace, many home
chores were carried out, including spinning and sewing; and not far from
the glow of the burning logs the children learned their daily lessons
and received their early religious training. Social activities were
enjoyed about the hearth, especially during the long winter evenings;
and when a member of the family was ill, the fireplace and its
accessories were in constant use. The fireplace was the first place
visited by the housewife in the early morning, and was usually the last
place where she performed her household duties late at night.
A fine assortment of fireplace tools and accessories have been found at
Jamestown, including iron tongs, shovels, andirons, parts of brass
warming-pans, and a large fragment from a cast-iron fireback. One early
17th-century andiron recovered is attractively decorated with a cherub's
head in relief.
[Illustration: A FEW FIREPLACE TOOLS UNEARTHED AT JAMESTOWN.]
[Illustration: AN EARLY 17TH-CENTURY ANDIRON IN THE JAMESTOWN
COLLECTION. NOTE THE CHERUB'S HEAD NEAR THE BASE.]