Cooper & Wheelwright

A Cooper is a woodworking tradesman who makes containers such as barrels and buckets out of staves and hoops. The staves are the vertical wooden pieces that make up the walls of the container, and the hoops hold the staves together.

The term hogshead is used to refer to a large cask (barrel-shaped container). In Virginia, the term hogshead is most closely associated with the tobacco trade, as the tobacco grown in Virginia during the colonial period was shipped to Great Britain in tobacco hogsheads. A tobacco hogshead was 48 inches tall, about 30 inches in diameter at each end, and about 36 inches in diameter at the middle.

The containers are made liquid tight by shaping the staves to fit so precisely together that when the hoops are tight on the container, there are no gaps. That is the woodworking skill of the Cooper. There are no adhesives or sealants used.

A Wheelwright is a woodworker specializing in wheels and vehicles, such as carts and wagons.

Our purpose at Colonial Williamsburg is to preserve the trade as it was practiced in the 18th century. This is achieved through learning within an apprenticeship, using the technology of the era, and producing and maintaining our sizable fleet of vehicles.

We have been recognized by The Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights of the City of London as one of, if not the only, pre-industrial English shops left in the world!