Midwifery at The Museum

We are excited to announce that our Midwifery program at Kieffer's Place begins this week!

Rules for Midwives

Adapted from From: A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Midwifery, by W. Smellie, M. D., 1766
To become a midwife, one must be:

• Sensible
• Decent
• Of middle age
• Able to bear fatigue
• Knowledgeable of the basic anatomy of the organs involved and how they change during pregnancy and childbirth.
• Skilled in examining and understanding the differences in labors.
• Able to live in friendship with other midwives, competing only in knowledge, sobriety, diligence and patience.

She must avoid all reflections (criticism) of male practitioners, and candidly seek their help when at a loss. When he comes, he is to understand that she is just a woman (Understand that what that phrase means is a woman is not possessing the mental capacity to deal with important matters), and quietly fix her mistakes. This will keep the patient from becoming upset, but will also silently rebuke the midwife. Since no male practitioner is completely perfect all the time, and may sometime also make a mistake, he will be glad he treated her nicely in such circumstances and expect her to treat him kindly in return.
To learn more about Midwifery (Midwives did much more than just deliver babies!) in the 19th century please visit our new midwives at Kieffer's place. Our midwives will be avaliable to discuss whatever ails you Thursday through Saturday, weekly.

We will occasionally cook period German food there as well as create authentic "Cures" from plants in our midwife's garden and from around the village.

Changes at Kieffer's Place

In anticipation of our new Midwifery program we revamped Kieffer's place for the experience.

The walls were whitewashed which give the space an authentic and much brighter look inside. The interior doors (which, along with the hardware, are original to the house) were painted a brilliant blue. This blue, was one of the original paint colors as determined by our resident historic paint expert Steve Jordan. The kitchen area was outfitted with a new kettle from Colonial Williamsburgh that our blacksmith forged a handle for and the pantry was stocked with pottery, brooms and a churn from our village artisans.

The ropes were taken down from the front rooms so visitors may now explore the entire first floor.

Outside, a garden was planted on the right side of the house which includes herbs that a midwife would have used in her practice.

Now all we need are patients! Any takers?

*Note-Broom making, which had been taking place in the building, has been moved to the Shaker's Trustee building.

Midwifery in the 19th Century at Kieffer's Place

New this year at Kieffer's Place will be the introduction of a program on midwifery and home health care in the early 19th century. Unbeknown to many people, midwives provided care for more than just the events surrounding childbirth. They also administered treatments for general illness and ministered to entire families. They were the first line of treatment, often called before a physician.

Our interpreters will provide lively discussion on what home health care would have looked like at this time in history. During the first half of the season, we will be discussing, among other things, a malady know specifically to this area as Genesee Fever, also know as Auge or Fever and Auge. (Malaria)

Physically, the building is being re-outfitted to reflect this program change. The inside is being whitewashed and repainted while a new garden has been installed that features medicinal herbs that a midwife would have employed in her practice as well as early medical tools that a midwife would have used.

Broom making, which had been housed in Kieffer's Place has been relocated to the Shaker's Trustee Building.

Recommended Reading
For those who want to learn even more, A Midwife's Tale, The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary 1775-1812, by Laurel Thacher Ulrich, is a nice complement to this program. It provides an in depth and fascinating look at the life and role of a midwife during the early 19th century.

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