Guest Accomodations at the Governor's Mansion

Guest Room in the Williamsburg Governor's Mansion, originally uploaded by mharrsch.

Although common folk slept on mattresses stuffed with rags or corn husks, the governor's guests at Williamsburg were provided with quite comfortable accomodations. The folks at Better Homes and Gardens tell us "bed canopies first appeared in the 13th century. In those days before central heating, bed curtains were used to ward off the cold. Bedrooms of the Middle Ages often doubled as spaces for receiving guests, so the bed became an important status statement. A bed with a full canopy signaled that guests were in the presence of someone very important.