When you go on tours at multiple historic houses, you start to notice a number of “facts” about American history that are repeated at all of them. The problem is that many of these so-called “facts” aren’t true; tax rates were not based on how many closets you had, ice cream wasn’t brought to America by Thomas Jefferson, and the paper sugar came wrapped in wasn’t used to dye fabric. It can be hard to accept that these stories, which we’ve heard over and over again and may be guilty of perpetuating ourselves, are just that: stories. But we owe it to the visitors who take tours of our historic sites to give them as accurate a view of American history as possible. One of my favorite blogs exists to help museum interpreters do just that. “History Myths Debunked” is written by Mary Miley Theobald, a writer and former history teacher and Colonial Williamsburg employee. She takes great joy in ferreting out the truth behind these historical myths, and her quest for the truth is always well-researched and usually entertaining as well.
