Always on call

Life in domestic service in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries often meant that someone was available to respond to a family member or guest at any hour of the day. There were defined work hours for each position, usually beginning early in the morning and ending late at night. However, those servants who lived on site, especially certain house staff, were expected to answer a call, no matter the hour. Roseland Cottage has one of its original bell pulls, located centrally in the second floor hallway. It was replaced by a buzzer when the home was electrified during the early twentieth century modernization.