Mitchell House...
Upon first entering the premises of Mitchell House, the historic home that also hosts The St. George’s Historical Society Museum, visitors are instantly warmed by the atmosphere provided by the ‘welcoming arm’ stairs- a quintessential Bermudian feature. Entering the house, there is an unnoticeable yet pleasant sent of Bermuda cedar that greets the senses, of which the sources can be located across the home, with cedar being a main feature of the interior of the house. Cedar can be found in terms of furniture, relics, etc. There is no avoiding the history that makes itself so evident in this home, as upon the re-plastering of the roof for safety reasons, various small ineffective parts were left untouched and in their original state from the early 1700’s. Doing this “allows tourists to see the original Bermuda roofing”. Other glimpses into the past can be found throughout the home, where rooms such as the front room and bedrooms were built as part of the original house, being constructed in 1730, followed by construction of smaller rooms after the 1950’s. Perhaps the home’s most significant and intriguing room, the kitchen is bound to catch one’s interest, as it is in a completely separate building- this being due to fire hazards. Just one glance at this seemingly ancient kitchen and many differences can be spotted when comparing it to present kitchens on the island, as the stove top and oven are in the wall, and most surprisingly, the bath tub lies in the middle of the floor. Many locals jokingly call this the “best-low tech kitchen on the island”.
The kitchen isn’t the only memorabilia dating back to the 1700’s that can still be found in the historic building. The chimney can be spotted on the exterior, which is because of the roof weight limit. Just one glance at either the exterior or interior of the house and it is clear how far Bermuda’s construction techniques have come, along with how much the daily lifestyles of Bermudians have changed. For instance, nowadays water tanks are located underground and are filled up with rainwater pouring into the tank from the roof, but in this historic home, the water tank can be found above ground. This is a result of the pipes that the water flows through being mainly horizontal, meaning that there is no way of pump- ing it back up. This was once very common among houses in the 1700’s, but now it is the only house in the town where this feature still exists.
The ‘Mitchell House’ earns its name from the man whom built it in 1731, Walter Mitchell. The house subsequently changed ownership various times before being owned by one of Bermuda’s most fruitful black couples. Isabella and William Archer eventually owned the house, where William looked after it for a period of time as a slave when his master owned it, before owning it himself. In the museum some of the objects that he would have used can be found, including ax heads, whale blubber cutters, kitchen objects, etc. Of these objects, it is safe to say that none are used anymore and many would even find them unrecognizable and alien.
The house’s significance and importance to the town of St. George’s was shown by its people in 1920, when the home was going to be auctioned off but was hindered by the society buying it in order to preserve it. Because of this, the town now boasts one of the only houses on the island where it can be pointed out how Bermudian’s used to live.
