From the Colonial Williamsburg: Past and Present Podcasts site—

"Doctors treating madness in 1773 embraced methods like bleeding, vomiting, restraint and intimidation. Interpreter Donna Wolf researched the topic for her program, 'A Method for Madness.'"

Colonial Williamsburg's Director of Historic Trades, Jay Gaynor, sits down with interviewer Harmony Hunter to describe the the process of recreating an 18th-century cannon. According to Gaynor, the cannon "is a reproduction of a British light three-pounder, which was a gun that was developed about the time of the American Revolution and saw deployment over here during the Revolution."

The Colonial Williamsburg site also offers resources for interested readers to learn more about gunsmiths and all of Williamsburg's attempts to recreate historic trades.

Tony Williams, author of The Pox and the Covenant: Franklin, Mather, and the Epidemic That Changed America's Destiny, discusses the colonial-era smallpox epidemic that began in Boston in 1721.

Discover more about colonial germ warfare by reading this article by Harold B. Gill Jr.

Colonial Williamsburg's curator of zooarcheaology, Joanne Bowen, talks about how the bones left behind from kitchen waste can reveal information about the foodways of people from colonial days through the 19th century.

War creates an industry of its own in every century, calling artisans and inventors to bring forth the best of their craft in the fastest way possible. In the Revolutionary War, this burden lay heavily on metalworkers, whose sword blades and gun barrels were in constant demand. Suzie Dye, a journeyman brass founder, discusses the technology of war in the 18th century, particularly the art of swordmaking.

Click here to discover more about colonial gunsmiths and iron workers.

Settlers came to Jamestown in the 1600s looking for natural resources that would make them rich. They were disappointed in their search for gold, but the New World offered a metal nearly as precious: iron. Shel Browder of Colonial Williamsburg discusses early efforts at smelting, and describes the smelting process.

Learn more about ironworks in Virginia by checking out this article by Christopher Geist.

Elaine Shirley, manager of rare breeds at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the management of livestock and the roles these animals played in colonial-era society.

Marshall Scheetz, an apprentice cooper at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about coopering according to colonial-era practices.

Note: this podcast is no longer available. To view a transcript of the original podcast, click here.

Ken Schwarz, a blacksmith at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about smithing according to colonial-era practices.

Christine Trowbridge, master brick maker at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the process of making bricks according to colonial-era practices.