I walked around Valley Forge last weekend. It’s beautiful, and you wouldn’t know there’s a huge mall on the other side of the highway.
Here’s the house George Washington used as his headquarters.
I’m always amazed at these old houses. No plumbing. Few, if any, closets. No insulation.
We’ve come a long way.
This is the room the staff officers worked in. These were the staff of the commanding general of the army. Granted it was a field encampment and even having a house to use was a blessing, but still… it makes the cube farms I’ve worked in seem down right spacious.
Then there’s the walk in fireplace in the kitchen. No fridge, no microwave, no self-cleaning oven.
In fact, you have to build a fire in the oven, let it heat up and clean the ashes out. Then you can bake your bread. And just the other day I was feeling impatient waiting a few minutes for the oven at home to heat up to cook a frozen pizza.
If nothing else, historical sites like this give you a hands on feel for how different life was.
Well said.