Fun Facts
Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build Yourself

Colonists used special candles made of uniform width and marked with equal bands to tell time. As the flame melted the wax, each melted band indicated that an hour had passed.

The average colonial family used about 100 candles a year. Most families went to bed when the sun set to save candles.

A dress in colonial times contained about eighteen yards of fabric, and was as valuable as a mini-van is today.

Up until the age of six, young boys had long hair and wore dresses. After six, both girls and boys were considered small adults.

Colonists only bathed a couple of times a year.

Husbands were responsible for their wife’s behavior. If a woman committed a crime, her husband received the punishment!

Before 1775, there was no postal service, so letters were simply passed hand to hand as people traveled about the colonies, until they reached a ship headed in the right direction.

In winter, some schools required children to bring a stick of wood for the fire each day. Any student who forgot that essential contribution sat in the seat farthest from the warmth of the fire as punishment.