Dungog Museum in Dungog, New South Wales | History Museum

Dungog Museum

Locality: Dungog, New South Wales

Phone: +49 9220 94

Address: 105 Dowling street 2420 Dungog, NSW, Australia

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25.01.2022 Did you know.....?? They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery. If yo...u had to do this to survive you were "piss poor." But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot; they "didn't have a pot to piss in" & were the lowest of the low. The next time you are washing your hands & complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s. Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. Since they were starting to smell, however, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women, and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it . . . hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!" Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof, resulting in the idiom, "It's raining cats and dogs." There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed, therefore, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence. The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, leading folks to coin the phrase "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way, subsequently creating a "thresh hold." In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while, and thus the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old." Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat." Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the "upper crust." Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up, creating the custom of holding a wake. England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive, so they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer. And that's the truth. Now, whoever said History was boring?

25.01.2022 Everyday we get one step closer to opening for passenger operations. Today was a milestone as our Diesel locomotive travelled all the way to Clarence station for the first time since July 2012. Bring on the next key milestone, a steam locomotive to Clarence!

22.01.2022 Changes in opening hours. Until further notice the Museum is open on Wednesdays only. 10.00 a.m. until 12.30 p.m. Occasionally closing at 12.00 p.m. Other times are by appointment only. At all times the current Covoid 19 restrictions must be adhered to. Failure to comply will result in non entry.

21.01.2022 Paget Baker’s cart Singleton Historical Society

20.01.2022 Who would have thought?

18.01.2022 The time clock is ticking. Sometime in August the Museum will reopen. Due to Covoid19 numbers will be restricted to 8.The time clock is ticking. Sometime in August the Museum will reopen. Due to Covoid19 numbers will be restricted to 8.

18.01.2022 Well worth a visit.

16.01.2022 Tribute to Indigenous Light Horsemen Last week 102 years ago a significant battle occurred with the Australian Light Horse and at NIGHT! Some of these Light Hor...semen were Indigenous and a memorial celebrating these Indigenous Light Horsemen was unveiled in 2018. Pictured below is the unveiling ceremony of the statue the "Aboriginal Soldier and his Horse" in memory of the Australian Soldiers who fell in Israel in the WW1 and in the Battle for the Semakh Train Station on 25th of September 1918. On the left is the Australian Ambassador to Israel Chris Cannan. On the right is Indigenous Trooper Jack Pollard's grandson Mark Pollard helping with the unveiling of the statue of his grandfather who fought at Semakh. The statue shows Pollard holding a Bible and bending over the grave of his brother in arms. The horse behind him also bows his head towards the fresh grave. (Also see picture below.) In Trooper Pollard's left hand is an open Bible (New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs), Australian Government Army issue to every soldier, placed in all soldiers' kits. On one of the plaques is a reminder of the words of Jesus in John 15:13, "No Greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

14.01.2022 This is what the Tinshed Brewery used to look like. The cart is in our Museum.

14.01.2022 In addition your name and phone number will be recorded. If you are ill, stay away. For your safety as well as ours.In addition your name and phone number will be recorded. If you are ill, stay away. For your safety as well as ours.

11.01.2022 We had diesel locomotive 1004 out Friday and Saturday hauling ballast wagons which will be used to support drainage and track improvement work. Just a reminder that rail vehicles are now regularly travelling over the entire network so please do not walk the tracks.

10.01.2022 The blood, sweat and tears from our volunteers makes it all worthwhile being able to see this view again from the drivers seat, I think you’ll agree it’s the be...st! A reminder for Rail Safety week, visitors to the Zig Zag Railway reserve are always asked to remain clear of the rail line as locomotives and track maintenance vehicles may be operating on the railway at any time.

08.01.2022 This sulky is on display in our Museum. Maisie Nash and Justy Haggary. Captain Cook Bi Centenary 1970

01.01.2022 Who said 5th Wheelers were a new concept?