How Do We Know?

About

Baskets were common household items in early New England. Indigenous people throughout the region have made baskets for millennia for their own use and as a trade item. Like the one shown here, they are often made from brown ash splint, a tough, resilient material that makes beautiful as well as functional containers. In the 18th century a basket such as this one might be used for storing things such as yarn, or for gathering eggs or vegetables from the garden. It was also the equivalent of the modern-day shopping bag.