100 Objects: 19th century bee skep
Made of coiled grass or straw sewn together with strips of briar, skeps are conical with at least one entrance hole and are placed open-end down. There is no internal structure for the bees so the colony must produce its own honeycomb, which is attached to the inside of the skep.
Francis Julius LeMoyne kept two bee skeps at his home on East Maiden Street in Washington – one on either end of the house’s third-floor rooftop garden, where he and his father, John Julius, grew herbs for their medical practice. The honey from the skeps was used for its medicinal purposes and also to sweeten the medicines that the doctors mixed.
The pictured bee skep has an interesting connection to the Underground Railroad. Francis LeMoyne was an abolitionist, and his house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. He often held abolitionist meetings at his home. During one gathering, a large crowd formed outside, intent on breaking up the meeting. John Julius sent his grandson, John, to the roof garden. Armed with a stick, he threatened to push the skep into the crowd. The crowd reportedly dispersed without further incident.
This bee skep is on display in the Apothecary Shop at the LeMoyne House at 49 East Maiden.
Alice Burroughs is a volunteer for Washington County Historical Society and a member of the Antiquities Committee.