> Considered rooms and taxed as such by the British
> crown, closets were not often built during the
> colonial era. After the American Revolution, the
> "closet tax" was abolished, allowing homeowners to
> construct closets without additional taxation.
>
> http://www.nps.gov/rocr/olst/history.htm

I think that the NPS has just fallen for the myth.

When did the British crown directly levy property or other taxes on
individuals? Municipalities - counties and towns - did this. The NPS
site, the Old Stone House in Rock Creek Park, is now in Montgomery
County, Maryland, originally part of Frederick County, and I've done
research there and never seen anything about direct British taxation. It
was a simple dwelling, and so had no closets.

Another post about the word "closet" reminds me that in Shakespeare's
time at least it meant a small private room, as in Ophelia's "as I was
sewing in my closet..." So to call a "closet" a "room" for taxation
purposes might not have been so farfetched - they just weren't referring
to a clothes closet as we use the word.

Carol Ely, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Historic Locust Grove, Inc

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).