Modern-day conveniences like air conditioning have left many of us unfamiliar with having to sweat it out during the summer months.
An exhibit at the William Root House Museum & Gardens in Marietta will show visitors how Southerners coped with the stifling heat and humidity before electricity came to the rescue.
Dressed For Summer is on display at the museum through Sept. 26. Visitors to the museum will see how the Root House would have been decorated during the hot months of the 1860s.
Visitors to the museum will notice that winter drapes have been replaced with sheers to keep insects from coming into the home and that carpets have been removed and replaced with bamboo matting to protect floors from dirt. Other things residents would have done during the summer include sealing fireplaces to keep out birds and other critters and concealing dark upholstered furniture with white slipcovers.
“The result is a light and airy home designed to be refreshing and comfortable,” said Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, which owns and operates the museum.
Cobb Landmarks have implemented some changes in place for visitors to follow during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests visiting the museum will check in at the visitors center located inside the 1830s Manning Family Cabin. They will be given a stylus pen that can be used to view the museum's interactive touch screens.
While visitors will be allowed to explore the museum at their own pace, they will be asked to practice social distancing and allow for enough space to enter and leave exhibit spaces. Once guests are done with their tours, they should return the stylus pens so they can be sanitized.
William and Hannah Root lived in the home with their children and extended family from 1845 to 1886. Hannah Root’s father, Leonard Simpson, lived with the family until his death on Oct. 11, 1856.
The museum offers a glimpse into the lives of the Root family and the enslaved people who lived and worked on the property, according to the museum’s website.
The Root House is located at 80 North Marietta Parkway. Visit its website to learn more about its exhibits.
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