Everyone knows how to make apple pie right? Apples, cinnamon, and sugar mixed together and thrown into a piecrust. Maybe you add butter or flour, or nutmeg and lemon zest, but this classic recipe that we take for granted started out differently.
I found this pie recipe on Colonial Williamsburg’s website (which I’ll link to below). The first thing they pointed out is that apple pie is not American, despite what we may think, it’s actually British – interesting.
The pie crust recipe came from The American Frugal Housewife, by Mrs. Child, which was printed in 1833. I enjoyed the challenge of interpreting this recipe from its original form – most of the historical recipes I try have a modern version next to them that is easier to understand. In continuing with that, I have created my own modern version of the recipe that I will attach below if you would like to try it. Or just experiment with the 1830’s recipe!
The main differences between this apple pie and any modern apple pie you might be accustomed to are the spices and the method of construction. There is no cinnamon! Only sugar and whole cloves.
Then you must layer it. At no point does the recipe say to mix the fruit and seasonings together in a bowl. Instead, you lay a layer of peeled, cored, apple slices into the bottom of you pie crust. Then you dust sugar and some whole cloves over the apples. Put more apples on top, add more sugar and cloves, and repeat.
Once you have used up all the apples, lay the second pie crust over it, and press the edges together. Williamsburg’s beautiful picture of the pie included pie crust decor. So I cut a few leaves and long strips out of my crust scraps and created a small design on top.
The recipe doesn’t call for it, but I decided to beat an egg and spread it over the top. Upon further inspection of the photo, I realized that only the decorative crust pieces must have had egg wash to make them stand out. Oh well, it was too late.
The Pie Before Baking
I baked it at the recommended 450˚ for 10 minutes, then 350˚ for 40 minutes. It smelled wonderful.
I must admit I was a little suspicious of sprinkling whole cloves throughout my apple pie. But they were very easy to pick out. And having only the cloves and no cinnamon gave it a different flavor that definitely seemed historical 🙂 I loved the taste, and judging from how much of it was eaten, my family enjoyed it as well!
However, it would have been improved by salt. The recipe does not call for salt. And for the pie crust, I used unsalted butter. But it turns out that I should’ve used salted butter. Why? Because Mrs. Child talks about butter earlier in her book. She instructs her readers to “pack your butter in a clean, scalded firkin, cover it with strong brine…” and it will last indefinitely. A strong brine would certainly add salt to the butter.
I love how something as simple as apple pie has changed and developed over time. Next time you’re wishing for some homemade apple pie, try this easy recipe! (Even easier if you skip the pie crust for store-bought.)
Here’s my modern version of the crust recipe alongside the original!
Pastry (homemade or store bought) 8 Granny Smith applies ¼ – 1 cup granulated sugar or castor sugar 1 tsp. rose flower water (optional) 2 tsp. whole cloves Instructions Preheat the oven to 425°. Remove one piece of dough from refrigerator and let stand until soft.
Child, Lydia Maria. The American Frugal Housewife: Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy. 12th ed. Carlisle, MA: Applewood, 1985.
When Maus was first published in the 1980’s, readers were shocked. Not only was it a graphic novel – before graphic novels were a thing – but it dealt with the Holocaust in comic book form. There were many skeptics; such a serious topic had never been put into such an informal style before. But the author, Art Spiegelman, blew everyone away.
May 8, 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day. Allied soldiers and citizens celebrated – World War II was over, at least mostly. Germany had surrendered. The day commemorates the end of a war which left many longing for its end. So many atrocities were committed, only some of which Spiegelman writes about in Maus.
This book is definitely not for children. As you may guess, there is a lot of disturbing content related to the Holocaust. However, even after that introduction, I still highly recommend reading Maus. Not because it’s uplifting, but because the story is important, well-written, and thought-provoking. I loved it in the most miserable sort of way.
Spiegelman is so honest and real. It’s like reading two stories at once: one about Art’s relationship with his father, and one about his dad’s experience during WWII. Spiegelman’s father, Vladek, speaks with an accent, and his inaccurate grammar and quirks – both the endearing and annoying – are all included. Art doesn’t gloss over anything, writing about his rocky relationship with his dad, up to Vladek’s outright racism towards blacks. The honesty made it very real.
Looking at black and white drawings of animal-headed figures makes you think about the issues in a different way too. Someone who might not usually want to learn about the Holocaust might read Maus because it’s a graphic novel. And someone put off by the visuals in something like Schindler’s List might be willing to read this instead.
The use of animals heads makes it digestible. Seeing human faces going through those horrific situations would be more disturbing. The Jews are mice – prey, eaten and chased by cats. Germans are the sneaky, predator cats. Poles are non-Kosher pork-eaters, shown by their depiction as pigs. Americans are dogs –good-hearted, but too bull-headed. And the French are frogs, coinciding with a derogatory slur for the French, perhaps because of their ambivalence towards the Jews.
There were so many crimes depicted in this book, it would be difficult to pin down one that horrified me the most. However, there is one line that I won’t forget.
Spiegelman is talking to Pavel, a Holocaust survivor and his psychiatrist. They are talking about the Holocaust and Spiegelman’s upcoming sequel to Maus I. They address the guilt of surviving and whether there was value in another book about Auschwitz. Pavel says, “I’m not talking about your book now, but look at how many books have already been written about the Holocaust. What’s the point? People haven’t changed… Maybe they need a newer, bigger Holocaust,” (Maus, panel 4, 205).
That perhaps is the scariest part of the book. Not the brutality of humans towards other humans, but the chance that we haven’t learned our lesson. That the stories are being forgotten, ignored, and replaced. That the horrific truth of the Holocaust is fading with every survivor who dies, with every story that lies dusty on a library shelf.
Pavel’s words suggest that society is no longer shocked by the Holocaust’s atrocities; they have become used to its horrors and need something new to shock them into action.
We need to remember these stories. I strongly recommend this book, but for a mature, older crowd.
Hoofbeats pounded up the wet road lined with a small crowd in the grey dawn. Coming closer, you could hear the rider crying out, “The Regulars are coming! The Regulars are coming!” Then came the faint sounds of fifes and drums, signaling the British army was not far behind.
Last year, in Massachusetts, my sister, friend, and myself celebrated Patriots’ Day with numerous historical activities. We woke up at 3:30 am to be in Lexington for the 5:30 am reenactment of the Battle of Lexington where the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” was fired. Later we marched with the Sudbury Minutemen along the same route the original company would have taken to join the fight. With high hopes I declared I would definitely be doing it all again next year.
But a few events put a crimp in those plans. First of all, moving across the country. Secondly, being required to quarantine for two weeks on either end of traveling. So the festivities were a bit different than I had imagined, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
Lexington Green, Patriots’ Day 2019
To commemorate the special day, my sister and I decided to walk the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which runs about 11 miles along the northern coastline of Anchorage, Alaska. The distance was approximately equal to the march we did with the Sudbury Minutemen last year. To note, the Sudbury Minutemen march on every April 19th early in the morning, in order to coincide with the exact date and time of the 1775 events. However, we walked on Monday the 20th, which is the official holiday of Patriots’ Day. We also left our starting line a little later than 2019’s 6:30 am.
Beginning of the Trail on the North Side of Anchorage
We arrived at the railroad depot just north of downtown Anchorage at 7:45am. Never before had we walked the entire Tony Knowles Trail from start to finish. With many access points, we had often walked short segments of the trail near significant city parks.
As we walked, we decided to wish any and all passersby a ‘Happy Patriots’ Day.’ Judging from their responses, none of them had the least idea of what we were talking about.
Patriots’ Day honors the first official battles of the American Revolution: Lexington and Concord. British soldiers marched out from Boston in the wee hours of the night, aiming to confiscate a store of ammunition located in Concord, Massachusetts. Revolutionaries spread the word of their impending arrival (the midnight ride of Paul Revere, anyone? – though Revere wasn’t the only one).
When the Redcoats reached Lexington in the early morning, a few brave souls stood on the green (common land in the center of town), defying the soldiers’ advance. A shot – to this day no one knows from which side it came– was fired. Within moments, eight colonists were dead or dying, and the British marched on.
As my sister and I marched, we paused at the planet stations placed strategically along the path. An Anchorage highschool student devised this clever “Planet Walk.” Signs representing the planets are positioned in order, radiating out from a sun sculpture in downtown Anchorage. Each intervening distance is calculated to equate to the light speed distance actually between them. Now pedestrians can stroll along at light speed. Apparently we were walking faster than light speed, because we completed the trail in just over 4 hours, instead of the predicted 5.5 hours.
The Planets I Remembered to Photograph (the Sun is Located in Downtown)
The second battle on April 19, 1775 took place in Concord. Upon their arrival, the Redcoats began burning supplies and cannons gathered by the colonists. From a hill vantage point, 400 minute men and militia saw the smoke and believed the town was being burned. They advanced on the town’s North Bridge, which was guarded by 96 British Soldiers, who fired upon them. The colonists shot back. Five fell dead and more were wounded.
But the exhausting day was nowhere near finished yet.
We stopped for a brief break at the Earthquake Park overlook point. This park is a crazy testament to the total upheaval of earth that takes place during earthquakes. Signs illustrate how the steep drop-offs and jutting hills you now see were all creating during Alaska’s 1964 Good Friday quake.
Not long afterwards, we reached Point Woronzoff, a park and beach that sits at the foot of the airport runway. We watched several planes take off directly overhead including the one videoed below. In the summer, we’ve enjoyed coming here to walk the steep path down to the muddy beach.
Plane Takes Off Over Point Woronzoff Park
The British began their march back to Boston. However, unbeknownst to them, more and more minutemen and militia from the surrounding country began to congregate around their return route. The first ambush waited one mile outside of Concord, at Meriam’s Corner. Subsequent attacks took place at Brooks Hill and the Bloody Angle in addition to other skirmishes, creating a “running 16-mile-long battle,” according to Minuteman National Park’s webpage on “Battle Site Explorations.”
Our views were a bit different from those the Redcoats and colonists traveled through 245 years ago. 🙂 In the photos you can see the infamous mudflats, with some snow still lingering on top. The day was pretty cloudy and foggy; on clear days there are mountains visible in the distance.
Views of Cook Inlet From the Trail
Later that fateful day, the British were met by reinforcements as well, but not nearly as many as the colonists. The book, Reporting the Revolution by Todd Andrlik, says that “by the end of the day, almost 3,800 militiamen had seen action against about 1,500 regulars. More than 270 British were left dead, wounded, or missing; for the Americans, only ninety-four.” Keep in mind that these Redcoat soldiers had been up all through the night!
Our destination, the 10.5 mile-marker in Kincaid Park, was met with excitement, though I’m sure not nearly as much as the British must have felt upon reaching Boston. We only took just over four hours to make our goal, but the British had already been traveling for hours when they reached Lexington at 5:30am. Then they fought all through the day.
April 19th marked the official outbreak of the American War for Independence that had been brewing for years. Many men lost their lives that day in defense of their rights. We would do well to remember what has been sacrificed by others for our benefit, and to follow their example of standing up against injustice. Here’s to next Patriots’ Day!
Our Final Mile Marker
The Tony Knowles Trail is an amazing resource, whether you’re visiting Anchorage for the first time, or have lived here for 20 years. Make sure to check out their website and take a “light speed” walk through Anchorage 🙂
The Minuteman National park has awesome online resources! Check out their website, YouTube channel, and FaceBook page for Patriots’ Day activities and more.
Annually on April 19, the Sudbury Companies of Militia and Minute march from Sudbury Center to the Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts. This event reenacts and commemorates the mission of our forefathers who did the same on April 19, 1775, at the start of the American Revolution.
Todd Andrlik is the founding editor of Journal of the American Revolution , as well as author/editor of Reporting the Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News (Sourcebooks, 2012), named one of the Best Books of 2012 by Barnes & Noble and Best American Revolution Book of the Year by the New York American Revolution Round Table.
Flashback to last October, on Massachusetts’ North Shore: Ipswich, not far from the New Hampshire border, is a gem of natural and historical sites. We drove (approximately a two hour drive from Boston) with the intention of visiting the famously beautiful Castle Hill on the Crane Estate. However, when we arrived, the gate was shut. The park was closed in order to clean up trees that had fallen in a recent wind storm. But we were determined to still enjoy Ipswich, and we most certainly did.
Looking Back Towards the Beach Parking Lot
The View Along the Beach
A park employee, advised us to drive to the nearby – and apparently popular – Crane Beach. The day was sunny, windy, and bone-chilling, but the beach was magnificent. Sand dunes speckled with brush spilled toward the water, where the water thrashed in the wind. Islands and promontories were visible, and marshes spread out on our right.
If we peered closely at the hill behind us, the mansion was just visible in a clearing of the trees. So, other than opulent beauty, what makes the Crane Estate such a cool place to visit? First, there’s a wonderful beach nearby, but the Trustees (the organization in charge), list several other reasons.
Fun Fact: the Crane Estate was used for scenes of Europe in the 2019 movie, Little Women.
Look Closely – the Estate Lies on the Hill’s Left
To start, Castle Hill and Castle Neck were first owned by John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts, beginning in 1637. Two centuries later, the estate was bought by the Brown family. They added roadways and planned plantings to the property. They also renovated what was a farmhouse into the so-called “cottage.”
But in 1910, Richard T. Crane Jr. purchased the land and determined to change it dramatically. Crane was a wealthy industrialist from Chicago, who owned a company manufacturing valves, pumps, and bathroom pieces. He used his wealth extravagantly. The property was landscaped, and even included a completely-functioning farm.
The most striking of the estate’s new features was the house. At first, the Cranes built an Italian-style villa, which was finished in 1912. But they soon changed their minds, and had an English-style mansion constructed in its place! With 59-rooms, it must be impressive.
However, even though we didn’t get a chance to view this monstrous palace up close, now it’s just an excuse to go back. After our fun at Crane beach, it was time for lunch, so we drove into the downtown of Ipswich.
The Town Hall
The Visitor Center
We elected to dine at the Heart and Soul Cafe, a warm, tasty little restaurant right in the center of town. Once we had filled up on a delicious salad, pancakes, and a burger, we set out to walk around. We had passed by a tiny old bridge, visitor center, museums, and cute shops. Unfortunately, I didn’t snap a photo of the streets downtown, but you’ll have to believe me that it was a perfect example of a quaint, bustling New England town.
Everywhere there were signposts and plaques revealing the history of the town. The Visitor Center had some great signs about the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway, which is huge, with a lot of places to discover. Zoom in on the photos below to see for yourself 🙂
The Choate Bridge, originally completed in 1764, and a small dam crossed over the Ipswich River, which runs right by the downtown. There was also a fish ladder nearby.
View from the Bridge
A pamphlet we picked up at the Visitor Center listed all the First Period (before 1725) Homes in Ipswich. A great idea! Though designed to be a walking guide and map, we used it to drive past a bunch of houses before we headed home. This one town has 60 First Period Homes! And there are 46 listed on the map.
We briefly walked around the John Whipple House. But it was closed at the moment, along with the Ipswich Museum, which lay right across the street. Judging from their website however, I’m sure they’d both be interesting to go inside.
A First Period Home
The Ipswich Museum
The John Whipple House
So. I most definitely would like to return to Ipswich, and I hope you’d like to go too. There’s so much more that we didn’t even get to last time. I’m sure you could make a very full day out of everything. And even if you can’t – or don’t want to – go to the Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, there’s plenty to do that is fun and doesn’t even cost a penny.
Experience the grandeur of a seaside estate and its marvelously landscaped grounds, notable for a broad, undulating lawn running down to the shore. What makes Castle Hill a special place? Centuries before becoming a grand summer estate owned by one of America’s wealthiest families, Castle Hill was well known by Native Americans, who called the area Agawam, referring to its rich fishery.
The Ipswich Museum offers an array of exciting lectures, exhibits and classes that are open to the public. Check back throughout the year for the most up to date list of events.
I absolutely love cooking historical recipes. Trying out flavors from the past is revealing and almost always tasty. We often make uninformed assumptions about what historical food was like though. And the sheer variety of what people used to eat can be quite surprising. Take for example, this Guyanese Duck Curry.
During the 18th century, there was trade happening all over the world, and international cuisine reflected this. This dish comes from Guyana, which lies in-between Venezuela and Brazil. Duck curry is immensely popular in Guyana, but this South American country’s food contains influences from several other continents. Elements of duck curry originate in North America, Britain, India, the Netherlands, and Africa.
I got the recipe from A Taste of History: Cookbook. I had no idea, but PBS actually airs a show titled A Taste of History, which has hundreds of episodes about 18th century food. Pretty cool. You can find some recipes on their website, which I’ll link to down below.
This recipe could be made with less time and effort if you used store-bought broth. However, the recipe calls for duck broth, which I have never seen for sale before. As I had all the ingredients for duck broth, I decided to make it. Basically, it’s like making another soup, but with the whole carcass steeping in it.
The first step was to butcher the duck, which I promptly realized I didn’t know how to do. After getting frustrated part way through, I watched a tutorial about butchering a duck – it definitely helped. My tips are: 1. know what you’re doing first, and 2. have a sharp knife!
In the Middle of Butchering
The End Results
Once I finished butchering, it was time to start the broth. Add together with the duck parts onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, and water. Make sure you use all the excess duck parts, I neglected to take a photo with all of them in the pot. I boiled all this for a while (and forgot to switch it to a simmer).
While that boiled, I sautéed two onions, garlic, and curry powder. Then I added the now chopped up duck pieces and tomato. Then some of my precious duck broth went into the pan.
The Duck Broth
Sauté of Onions, Garlic, and Curry Powder
Addition of Duck, Tomato, and Broth
After the broth, the recipe calls for garam masala and cumin. Make sure you do this in a pot. Since my pan turned out to be too small for the following ingredients, I ended up transferring everything to a pot. Then I threw in chopped potatoes, carrots, ginger, and thyme. The original recipe called for habanero, but too much spice isn’t popular with my samplers, so I omitted it.
Garam Masala
Cumin
The Curry!
The recipe says to cook the duck for 10 minutes before you add the carrots and potatoes. I would recommend letting it simmer longer, because the potatoes and carrots were very soft by the time the duck was tender. However, the dish was still yummy. It tasted very modern, like something you could get in a restaurant nowadays. To note, duck does taste different than chicken, if inquiring minds want to know.
This recipe is a great example of the extreme variety present in 18th century food! With the spices from India, potatoes and tomatoes from the New World, and more, any presupposition of bland meals primarily of meat and breads is simply blown away. Just like anything, you must delve deeper before you assume it to be one way or another.
I highly encourage everyone to take a stab at recreating their own historical recipe! If you don’t have – or desire to buy – a cookbook, there are plenty of resources online. Colonial Williamsburg, Jas. Townsend and Sons, and many others offer recipes and tutorials on their websites or on YouTube.
Here is the video I watched partway through the process:
Butchering is a great skill to have, since it’s often cheaper to buy the whole animal rather than portions. Have a go at buying a whole duck and using it in …
A channel dedicated to exploring the 18th Century lifestyle. Subscribe for hundreds of videos on 18th century living, cooking, clothing, and much more. Our W…
When was the last time you saw a rotting barn? If you live in New England, chances are it wasn’t very long ago. Last September, I had the chance to step inside six unique barns in Harvard, Massachusetts. But none of them were rotting. In fact, they were all great examples of barns that have been preserved, reused, and repurposed over the years.
The Harvard Historical Society partnered with six owners throughout the town who were willing to open their barns to the public. Planned out well, the tour was self-led, with reenactors, local businesses and artists stationed at each barn. We received a map and an information booklet in the center of town, which directed us to the various barn locations. The day was sunny and warm, perfect for walking around outside from site to site.
Atherton Barn
The Atherton Barn was a beautiful barn and contained a lot of eclectic antiques. However, for some reason, I neglected to capture a photo of the barn’s exterior.
Most of the barn that stands today was built in 1792 to replace an earlier barn. The barn was first used by the Atherton Tavern and Inn as a carriage house. Later on, it switched hands to the Congregational Church, and became the parsonage for the town minister.
Its current owner totally rebuilt the right side of the barn, adding in heat and A/C. An incredible woven staircase leads to the second floor, complete with a “coffin corner” for carrying large items upstairs.
The Woven Staircase
On the second floor is a vintage hang-out room, and a room used for the Underground Railroad! The barn houses many antiques and vintage memorabilia, including the Harvard Historical Society’s apple sorter.
For the event, Westward Orchards offered donuts and apples, and a wonderful ukulele band strummed outside.
Deacon Isaac Stone Barn
(House is in the Foreground, the Barn is Sporting Solar Panels)
“Make sure you take a look at the toilet!” That was the advice we received upon arrival at this barn. As you may have guessed from his name, former barn owner Isaac Stone was a stonecutter. Built sometime in the mid- to late- 1700s, the barn has an English structure, mainly characterized by the large doors opening on the long side. Out of its four stories, we were only able to explore two.
The main floor split into several spaces that were partitioned off. One of these was the noteworthy “two holer” toilet. The current owner is proud of the curiosity, as he has restored it over the years.
The Two Holer
The Workshop Foundation
Modern Stonecutter
Through the Hole
Through the duel openings, you have a view to the basement, and the gravestone that lies beneath (slightly sacrilegious? 😛 ). Cracked into multiple pieces, the headstone belongs to Jerome Farnsworth, who died at the age of nineteen years, nine months, and nine days. A replacement gravestone was probably made after this one cracked, and that is why this one was left in the basement.
The craftsman behind the engraving was likely Isaac Stone. Behind the barn, you can still see the foundation of Stone’s workshop. In fact, the workshop itself was still standing up until the 1950s. To commemorate the former owner’s trade, the event planners had a modern day stonecutter working in the yard. With his electric tools, he carved a piece of art over the course of the day for an auction that night.
The Great Elms Barn
This is a million dollar story – in more ways than one. Unique and expensive, the Great Elms Barn was completely disassembled from its original location and then reassembled piece by piece into its present form. And it’s huge!
For this barn, we had already had a backstory: the Harvard Historical Society had previously hosted a presentation by the owner detailing the laborious process of barn deconstruction and re-raising. Will Stevenson showed photos of the barn which had been left to deteriorate, and was now slated for demolition.
Determined to fulfill his dream of owning an old barn, Stevenson bought the barn. He and a team worked to meticulously disassemble the entire barn, labeling every piece as they went.
Once they had built a foundation on their own property, they transported the wood across town and began the process of rebuilding. To the original parts, they added a new roof and siding, along with a second cupola for ventilation. In all, the project took a full year.
Now friends and neighbors take advantage of the space in the winter to store any and every sort of recreational vehicle and equipment. The barn’s ample space can handle it all. But the darkened, vast beams, and multiple sets of coded numbering remind you that the barn has seen many other uses for a long time back.
The Turner Barn
The Front of the Turner Barn
The Turner Barn was built for cows. In 1849, Rebecca Turner recorded in her diary the dates of the barn construction and raising. She and her husband, Oliver, had purchased the farm the year prior. Their new barn reused some beams from a barn across the street, and was lined with cattle stalls.
In the photo’s bottom left, you can just see the lower-level entrance where the cows could enter the barn. Here, the stone steps are well-worn from all the traffic they received.
A benefit of the Turner’s location, for them and their cattle, was water. Underground springs flowed down Prospect Hill, where the Turners tapped into them, funneling water through the barn’s basement.
To the south, a spring house piped more water back to the house, where it was stored in copper vats and a cistern. The Turners had running water inside, and flushing toilets upstairs.
Inside, the barn was more divided than the others we saw that day, so the middle hallway was narrower. But in the separate sections, there was a woodworker, a maple sugarer, an artist, and a reenactor. So there was a lot to see, talk about, and taste. 🙂
The Sawyer Barn
I really liked how the Sawyer barn looked; its exterior was particularly picturesque, especially with its flourishing garden out back. Built in 1850, likely by Jabez Sawyer, the barn has three floors. Its unique main door has rollers on the bottom instead of the top, which was traditional.
Set on a small hill, a stone ramp – now covered in grass – leads up to the barn’s main doors. The basement lies open to the outside on the lower left side. Here, a staircase to nowhere was the barn’s claim to fame. Also back and to the right, a garden is planted, where a local beekeeper was stationed with his honey and herbs. A 1700s Sawyer farmhouse stands to its left.
The Basement
The Garden
Like the Turner Barn, this barn had a narrower middle hall, bordered by partitions. However, it was the only barn to currently house a horse, Dexter, and his stall was apparent along one wall. Long logs made up the beams, along with two that were joined together with only a dovetail. Intricate metalworked pieces by Babacool Arts hung in the hallway, and a reenactor related stories from her childhood.
The Reedich Barn
The Reedich Barn, Entrance to Upper Floor is on the Side
The Reedich Barn was given as an impressive example of what a completely modern barn can look like, and the functions it can serve in a non-agrarian society. Originally intended to store recreational vehicles, upon completion the barn was deemed too nice for that purpose. So the family opted to add in a few more homey features to create a barn-style, luxury hang-out space and work area.
The top floor included a loft, tiny kitchen, and living room. Downstairs had more of a garage feeling, with its expansive doors and workshop. An atypical garage feature, however, was the large home-brewing set-up in the corner. Also, I thought it was pretty cool that there was a hidden driveway under the grass (no more sinking into the muddy grass I guess).
The Harvard Barn-to-Barn Tour was great! Getting to see inside what would otherwise be private barns was special and interesting. The Harvard Historical Society did an excellent job involving the community in its production: gathering local artists, craftsmen, farmers, and businesses to decorate and advocate at each barn. It really felt like a community affair. The only thing that would complete the feeling of an inclusive community, would be a lower ticket price. That way, a better representation of the surrounding community can enjoy the tour. If they have it again next year, I hope you can go!
The Harvard Historical Society, located at 215 Still River Road, is committed to preserving Harvard’s past for Harvard’s future and to helping you discover your town through educational and cultural programming that connects to our history. We are a private, not-for-profit organization that relies on membership and donations to maintain our buildings and our collections…
For even more pictures, go to the Harvard Historical Society’s website.
Thanks to the 260 tour-goers, 30 volunteers, 11 artisans, 11 food vendors, 14 performers and, 12 barn owners, the Barn To Barn Tour was a fantastic success. Here are a few pictures of the great day…
Did you know that March 17th has been celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day for over 1,000 years? But all the traditions we associate with it now, most certainly weren’t there to begin with. In the middle ages, people weren’t saying: wear something green or be pinched, eat some corned beef and cabbage, wear a shamrock pin, etc. March 17th was a day to remember a man with great forgiveness, who dedicated a lot to Ireland. Yep, St. Patrick.
In the centuries that have passed, some of the details (such as his name) have been misplaced and disagreed upon, but the core of the history is true. A young boy, perhaps named Maewyn Succat, lived in Britain. Not only was “Patrick” not Irish, you could even say he was Roman. For the Romans were only just leaving their British colony alone, after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D.
When he was sixteen years old, Maewyn/Patrick was captured by Irish who desired to take advantage of the newly relinquished Britain. Maewyn was kept as a slave in Ireland for some six to ten years. After that time, he either escaped, or was freed, and made it back to Britain.
After he returned, Maewyn decided to train to become a Catholic priest. This is when Maewyn changed his name to Patrick (or Patricius, Latin for “father figure”). He then received a calling from God to return to the Irish as a missionary. Faithfully, Patrick did just that. He sailed back to Ireland and had success in reaching the people of Ireland, largely Druid, with the Catholic faith. Churches sprouted up all over the island, and Ireland was never the same because of Patrick.
Out of gratefulness, the Irish people began celebrating Patrick on the supposed day of his death, March 17th. Since its inception, many traditions have become part of the annual festival.
The iconic tradition of decorating with shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day springs from the legend that Patrick used the plant (either clover or sorrel) to illustrate the hard-to-grasp concept of the Holy Trinity. Though each leaf is a distinct, separate leaf, together the three form one, single clover (or sorrel), just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct, but One. To remember Patrick and his explanation, people started wearing the three-leaf plant on his holiday.
There are many other more unusual St. Patrick’s Day customs that developed as Irish Americans spread their cultural pride across the nation. For example, dying entire rivers green, giant parades, and chugging beer. But amidst the Irish-themed revelry, I think there’s an important take-away from Patrick: forgiveness.
While reading about Patrick, it struck me how difficult it must have been to be a missionary to the same people who had hurt him so much. To serve those who enslaved him took an immense amount of forgiveness. Not only did Patrick let go of his bitterness, he desired to help his captors by obeying God. And the Irish people benefitted because of it. So beneath all the lucky charms, beer, and parades, we’re really celebrating a man who gave a great example of true forgiveness.
Lice, death, and soapy peas. The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier is a unique–albeit gruesome–account of Napoleon’s conquests. It’s told from the perspective of a peasant, Jakob Walter, which is a rare occurrence. All other accounts of these wars are from the more well-to-do.
Walters was also ahead of his time in giving an even-handed recounting of the war’s events. Though we applaud telling both sides of an issue nowadays, in the late 18th/early 19th century, it was much more common to write only in favor of one side.
In addition to being innovative and historically piquant, Walter’s diary is also just an honest account of a man’s life during bleak times. It’s not an authoritative text on the tactics of war, dates of battles, and characters of leaders. Instead, Walter tells it like it is: war that is hungry, savage on both sides, and either freezing cold or blisteringly hot.
While reading, I found myself squirming a lot. Walter describes the rampant infestation of lice the army dealt with. At one point, his captain asks him to help him, as his lice are really bothering him.
“…for this reason he asked me to kill the tormentors in his shirt collar. I did it; but, when I had his collar open, his raw flesh showed forth where the greedy beasts had gnawed in. I had to turn my eyes way with abhorrence and reassure the master that I saw nothing, telling him that my eyes hurt so much from the smoke that I could not see anything. These pests, however, were no less to be found on me, thousands of them.”
Jakob Walter, (78)
Walters does a really good job of depicting the desensitization that was required of soldiers just in order to survive the horrors they were experiencing. He sees thousands killed and wounded, but there is no way to save the wounded, so they are left to die as well.
One night, while trying to find a place to sleep in the dark, Walter curls up next to his horse on a bit of ground that is softer than its surroundings. In the morning, he discovers that he slept atop a dead man’s belly that hadn’t frozen solid yet. And then he moves on.
He also talks of his desperate search for food when traveling through frozen Russia. He and his comrades would head towards burning villages to scavenge any hidden food stores. I couldn’t help but think of the hungry peasants the soldiers left behind when they were victorious.
Walter and some of his comrades combine some of their meagre food supplies for a memorable meal. A rare pot of seasoned peas with lard, they are forced to throw away – the “frozen lard” was actually soap.
To put Walter’s account into a historical perspective: Napoleon’s campaign in 1812-1814 sent 650,000 men into Russia. 200,000 were captured, and only 30,000 soldiers returned. Miraculously, Walter was one of those who returned to his family.
Walter gives all the credit for his survival to God. He notes that “since I did not suffer the misfortune of being wounded, I thought: ‘God, Thou hast allowed me to live till now. I thank Thee and offer up my sufferings to Thee and pray Thee at the same time to take me further into Thy protection,” (Walter, 49). With all the horrific misadventures Walter endured, it’s hard to believe his survival was anything but supernatural.
Looking back from our slushy February present, Thanksgiving seems already in the distant past. However, there’s no time like the present to remember our cozy holiday feasting – and of course, the history behind it.
If you’re like most people, amidst all the turkey, family, and football, you might briefly consider the Pilgrims and their role in the holiday. You can picture them: clad in black, eating popcorn, and wearing buckles on every article of clothing. Right beside them stand a couple Natives, wearing giant, feathered headdresses. But that image is totally wrong.
There is a lot more to this determined group of people. Their story is different in many ways from the one popularized in advertising. We perhaps give them too much credit for the establishment of Thanksgiving, but their story is important .
Fast facts:
The Pilgrims liked to wear colors
Their feast was by no means the first
A 17th century feast would have looked quite different from ours
Those headdresses are from the wrong place
The Pilgrims are often portrayed in black. At that time, black was one of the most expensive dyes, because it was difficult to obtain. So it makes sense that everyday clothes wouldn’t be black. In fact, garments were many different colors – anything made from natural dyes. The colors just faded faster without the modern chemicals we have today.
And those buckles? Fifty years too early – at least. Buckles were in fashion at the end of the 17th century. So their low, leather shoes were tied with string, not buckles. Instead of buckles on their hats, they were graced with multi-colored cloth cords.
Women Baking Cheate Bread for the Week
Fun Fact: there are two correct spellings when referring to the place the Pilgrims settled. If you are referring to the modern-day town in Massachusetts, it’s “Plymouth.” If instead you mean the colony, or the museum, the spelling is “Plimoth.” This is because William Bradford, one of the Mayflower Passengers, used this spelling in his book, Of Plimoth Plantation.
Another common myth is that the Pilgrims instituted the “First Thanksgiving.” Contrary to popular belief, this sort of harvest festival had been going on for centuries. When food was gathered in, feasts were had and participants gave thanks for their bounty.
Finally, the food. We place our modern ideas of old feasts in place of the actual reality. The Wamponoags did bring deer to the feast, but you would not have found deer hanging unskinned by the fetlocks over a fire. Squash would have been present, but not in the super-sugary pie form we know today. Corn would definitely have graced the table, but likely in porridge or corn cakes. Apples, pears, and potatoes would not have been on the menu since the colonists hadn’t grown these yet and they are not native to New England.
Plimoth’s English Village
Visiting Plimoth Plantation is awesome. The museum has done an amazing job of transporting that slice of Massachusetts back in time. The Wampanoag Site is actually right against the water, and while we were visiting the interpreters were working on burning out the largest log they had ever done. They were demonstrating a traditional craft of making canoes out of a single tree. Small smoldering fires are kept burning along the top center of the log. The tree is gradually hollowed out this way, but it takes skill to ensure the wood doesn’t burn too much.
In the Craft Center at Plimoth Plantation there was a man creating traditional headdresses with ancient techniques. Unlike the ones depicted in popular drawings, these headdresses were smaller and sat on the back of the head. The giant feathered headdresses are a type that would’ve been worn by Plains Indians. Native groups in New England used porcupine quills dyed bright colors with natural dyes.
There is so much more to learn about the pilgrims! Their beliefs, goals, struggles, and mistakes are a whole other subject. But hopefully finding out about some of the common misconceptions surrounding their food and clothing makes it obvious that the pilgrims are “more than meets the eye.” 🙂
Plimoth’s website has some awesome information and opportunities! And I never want to have a Thanksgiving go by without having the Thanksgiving Primer to refer too:)
Every day we learn something new. Isn’t it time to learn something old? Learn how your family can sleep in a Pilgrim house, how kids can spend a week this summer learning about the Wampanoag, or how you can invite a Pilgrim or Native museum teacher to your classroom.
Prepared by our Research Department, this useful and interesting booklet incorporates the latest findings about the physical and spiritual world of the Pilgrims. Includes a menu and period recipes as well as an extensive section on wardrobe and appropriate 20th-century substitutions. Illustrated.
“The Thanksgiving Primer.” Plimoth Plantation Publication (1991).
Have you ever watched the reality tv show Black-ish? One character, Mr. Stevens, who is cringingly un-PC, groans that everything is related to slavery. But in my history class last week, I felt like Dre, the main character, who claims that yes, most things are related to slavery.
Coffee culture is quite popular now to put it lightly. Whether it’s Starbucks, Dunkies’, your local coffee shop, or a pot of coffee at home, for many people the beverage is a part of their daily routine. Imagining society without coffee is hard to picture now.
However, for a long time coffee, or kavah as it was then called, was a drink exclusive to the middle east. In contrast, Europe’s libation of choice was alcohol. Coffee’s bitter beans didn’t make their way west until the early 17th century.
1652 AD marked the establishment of the first coffee house in London. Its success was immediate. Coffee houses became social hotspots, where men could gather and exchange ideas. Newspapers were available there, and the novel drink was touted as the sober, healthy alternative to intoxicating ales, beers, etc.
COFFEE arrives, that Grave and wholesome Liquor, that heals the Stomack, makes the Genius quicker, Relieves the Memory, Revives the Sad, And cheers the Spirits, without making Mad;
A Brief Description of the Excellent Vertues of That Sober and Wholesome Drink, Called Coffee (1674)
By providing ideal locations for the spread of political and philosophical discussions, coffeehouses proved the perfect breeding grounds for Enlightenment ideas. The Enlightenment ushered in a new age of ideology revolutions and major political changes. All this was spurred on by coffee, but slavery was the foundation it was laid on.
We typically think of the Americas when we think of slavery, but they were not the only ones benefitting from slavery. European nations headed up the Triangular Trade, which shipped manufactured goods to Africa, African slaves to the New World, and raw materials from the New World back to Europe.
The huge profits from this trade systems created an influx of wealth in Europe. Suddenly, way more people had a little extra money, and a middle class emerged. A consumer culture exploded. With their surplus funds, denizens found themselves able to afford some luxuries such as decorations, entertainment – and coffee.
European colonization then provided a system to satiate Europeans’ new craving for coffee. Beans were imported from the Middle East, then planted in the New World. South American and Caribbean growing conditions were ideal for the crop, and plantation owners ramped up production. Slaves furnished the extra labor required. Not only did slaves carry the burden of agricultural coffee production, but their sale supplied the money necessary for others to buy the coffee.
So when you sip your morning java (a dutch trading colony), take a moment to remember the people who paid everything to bring coffee success.
All these crisp photos were downloaded from https://unsplash.com. Their cool website provides high quality images that are copyright free.
Sources:
Lynn Hunt, Thomas Martin, Barbara Rosenwein, Bonnie Smith (eds.). The Making of the West: Peoples & Cultures, Vol. II, 6th ed.
Katharine Lualdi (ed.), Sources of the Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, Vol II, 6th ed.
