The Newberry County Historical Society

04/18/2026

Remember this?

04/18/2026

04/08/2026

04/08/2026

✨The Edison House in Saluda County, South Carolina, was built in 1905.

04/08/2026

You're invited to the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Newberry Arts Center - NAC's new home!

Friday, April 10 at 5:30 PM
1716 Main Street

Following the ribbon cutting and remarks, join us for an open house at the new facility!

04/08/2026

04/08/2026

Celebrate 250 Years of American Independence!

Join us as we honor the enduring spirit of the Revolution with a month full of engaging April lectures and community events! Explore the stories, people, and ideas that shaped our nation’s founding — and discover how the legacy of independence continues to inspire us today.

📅 All events are FREE and open to the public
📍 Be sure to note the event locations
📲 Scan the QR Code below for full details and registration information

04/08/2026

The New York Historical Society gifted this to the MET in exchange for another item in 1984. The MET lists this as a bonnet and dates it to about 1850.
I think the correct descriptor for this would be house cap. Since this clearly has not strudy internal structure, being made of silk netting and ribbon, this doesn’t connect to the forms of headgear worn out of doors.
This is the kind of thing a married woman would wear in the house to control the hair when she did not need to have her hair dressed.
A woman married was expected outside of evening and formal events to conceal her hair. The sensible reason presented, (which had little reality), was that the lady of the house had too many tasks to tend to trouble with such things. The truth is that it was a way for a woman managing a household to look acceptable when she hadn’t the inclination to dress her hair.
That said this is a lovely survivor, and a quaint look at how life was at home for a woman of middle means.