Appalachee 2-Room House and Interior

I made a big mistake while at the Mission San Luis in Tallahassee. I took photos of the inside of a 2-room house that was occupied by a family with 10 children and was so impressed with the inside, I forgot to shoot the outside. So, this one will have to do. There were a few houses like this on the outskirts of the property on the nature trail. These are still left for the Archaeologists to investigate and be restored. This is similar to the outside of the house I photographed.

This piece was outside the entrance to the house. If you remember from an earlier post, I stated the women made all the pottery, dishes, buckets and household items. I'm still trying to figure out what this was used for. I should've asked the woman in the house who showed me around, but she had to leave to watch the chickens. There was a hungry Fox around and they wanted to be sure the chickens were safe.

Maybe one of you readers have an idea what this is. It looks like it is some kind of form. It reminds me of an egg darner that my grandmother used to darn socks, but this is way too big for that. It stands probably 2 1/2 ft tall, and maybe 20 inches at the widest part. I'm really curious about this piece. I don't even know what to call it.

This chair was sitting between the bedroom and living area. It looks too ornate to be made by the Appalachees. My guess is that it was brought here by the Spaniards and given to this family. The carving is beautiful. To see it in detail, just click on the picture and it'll come up in a larger view.

The cradle is definitely made by the father. I was especially impressed with the cross on the headboard above the baby's head. The Appalachee Indians were Christian. The Spaniards brought Christianity to the Mission and the Applachees absorbed it.

Other than this cradle, the only other bed in the home is the parents' bed. I would guess the other children slept on the floor. I was particularly impressed with the canopy. I wouldn't have imagined that canopies were used in that era. However, I liked it and it did provide the parents some privacy, I suppose. It is also impressive that patterns were printed on fabric in the 1600's.


I guess I have a lot to learn about history. I recommend my method; it's a whole lot more interesting and fun than it was in school.