Object Number 1980.0171.009 B

Object Name

Hemp (Rope)

Category

Textiles

Credit Line/Donor

Gift of Katherine H. Cole in memory of Wilford P. Cole.

Creator (Role)

Lenape (Probable maker)

John Fanning Watson (Compiler)
1779-1860

Place of Origin

Delaware, New Jersey or Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

Origin Notes

The hemp was discovered in Philadelphia but could have been made in many places.

Date

1750-1800

Subjects

John Fanning Watson; Native American; Indigenous peoples

Materials

Hemp

Dimensions (inches)

1.5 (H) , 4.75 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

3.81 (H) , 12.07 (W)

Object Description

Web - 05/30/2024

This loosely twisted coil of fibers has been kept together inside a folded piece of paper bearing an inscription indicating it was brought to Philadelphia antiquarian John Fanning Watson as a relic of Native American hemp (Virga) often used for fishing nets and other purposes. According to Watson's undated record, the coil was unearthed at a depth of 18 feet while a well was being created for the prison at Arch and Broad Streets. Watson kept the fibers and this historic account with other artifacts in a wooden chest.