Kat M – Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm

Belsnickel: German Christmas Brings a Sidekick for Santa

Kat M — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 03:02:00 +0000

It is often said that the past is a foreign country and when we look back at it, we will find many strange and unusual customs and traditions. This is particularly true with historic celebrations of Christmas. Traditionally in Germany, a character called the Belsnickel would visit children alongside Saint Nicholas. Many cultures have an assistant accompany St. Nicholas/Santa Claus during his visits to punish the children who need to correct their behavior. Traditionally in Germany, St. Nicholas’ Day is December 6th. That is when St. Nicholas and the belsnickel would visit, for on Christmas Eve the Christ Child would bring presents.

The belsnickel is often clad in rags and patchwork, sometimes he blackens his face or wears a mask to appear more fearsome. He carries candy or treats for the obedient children along with switches or rods for those who have been misbehaving. Naughty children were also made to do a penance such as recite a Bible verse or poem for their transgressions. Generally the belsnickel was someone from the local community, usually an older man or a woman, who knew what the children had been up to during the year. I suspect it was somewhat of a social honor to portray the belsnickel. The person had to be trustworthy and able to properly gauge the punishment for the misbehavior. As the tradition of the belsnickel continued in Pennsylvania, the man was often rewarded with food for his social function. The person selected as the belsnickel may have been a community elder who may have needed some charity that time of year.

The belsnickel tradition was very popular during the 19th century. It even survived in places until the early 20th century but seems to have merged with Santa Claus as the years have gone by. Here at Quiet Valley, we keep the Belsnickel tradition alive during our Old Time Christmas celebration. Visitors come down into the cellar kitchen (this was originally the whole house built around 1770) where they meet Jacky Depper. This young boy welcomes the visitors and explains that they are now waiting for the Belsnickel who soon arrives amid much door-banging and bell-ringing. He goes about the room tapping naughty children with his bundle of sticks and rewarding the good children with candy. It is a sight to see. At Christmastime when you are looking for something fun to do, remember us and come see the Belsnickel.

The Quiet Valley blog is written by Kat Muller in her first year working at Quiet Valley. This blog post represents her last, new event for the year!

Christmas Cards: History & Tracing Origins to the 1800s

Kat M — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 02:43:00 +0000

For many people, myself included, December marks Christmas Card season when our post boxes contain little envelopes with updates from friends and family rather than bills and junk mail. Like many of our modern Christmas traditions, Christmas cards can be traced back to the mid-1800s.

With most historical events or occurrences, historians and archaeologists can only give an estimate or a window of time when something took place. Yet with Christmas cards, we have an exact year and even the people who came up with the first card. (Though I do imagine there is some nameless person who sent a Christmas greeting with some artwork.) In 1843, Henry Cole commissioned artist J. C. Horsley to produce the first Christmas Card. Cole had revolutionized the postal system in England; thus, perhaps, these first cards (more akin to post cards) were either a great marketing strategy for his mailing system or just a time-saving factor on Cole’s part. The first card was a three part picture with a family feasting in the middle and performing charitable acts on either side.

While it took a little while to catch on, Christmas cards became very popular during the late 1870s. Christmas cards were often produced by many small companies and newspapers often had fun reviewing them and proclaiming which had the nicest illustrations or sentiments.

Today, many of us would not necessarily agree with our Victorian counterparts. Many cards produced during this time period featured anthropomorphic animals, cherub faces poking out of flowers, dead animals, and the like. While these images and greetings seem odd to us today, they were meaningful to their intended audience. Christopher Davis in his blog Vaults of Thought, delves into the symbolism behind two noteworthy cards picturing a dead wren and another with a dying frog as his opponent flees the scene. Some cards, such as the dead wren, hearken back to older traditions such as the Hunting of the Wren. Young boys and men in Ireland would capture a wren and then beg from door to door asking for food or money for the “wren” (aka the boys). Heather Dale, a folk singer who tells tales of older traditions, has a little song about it. Victorian culture was also obsessed with death. There were rules regarding proper mourning patterns that could impact a family’s lives for years after their relative was deceased. I think some of that culture found its way into every aspect of their lives, even Christmas cards.

Allison Meier has an article here with lots of images of those traditional cards. Not all of them look very much like Christmas cards as they picture everything from owls on bicycles to cats with parasols. I personally was surprised with the cards containing sea shells. I suspect they could almost be holiday advertisements, sort of a “Merry Christmas from a great place to holiday.”

Christmas cards saw a revolution in 1915 when the book style cards were printed by the company that became Hallmark. Their cards contained an image on the front, a greeting, it was folded once, and inserted into an envelope. This soon outpaced the postcard style cards and are now standard. Many people liked the book style cards because they could write more but not a whole letter. Nowadays, Christmas cards can be pop up cards, light up, play music, and even record personalized greetings. Imagine Cole and Horsley’s surprise if they saw how far their little cards have gone.

The Quiet Valley Blog is written by Kat Muller during her first year at Quiet Valley as she learns about the farm, life in the 1800s, and the animals.

Christmas Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Dutch

Kat M — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 02:04:00 +0000

While it is only halfway through November we are starting to get things ready here on the farm for our last big event of the year-Old Time Christmas. This candlelit lantern tour explores the historic celebrations of Christmas during the 1800s, a live nativity, visits from the Belsnickel, and more. To help get ready for this event, I’ve been reading Christmas in Pennsylvania by Alfred L. Shoemaker. While a little heavy on primary sources for casual reading, it is a great source of information exploring early celebrations in Pennsylvania by those who did not observe Christmas such as the Puritans and Quakers, to those who certainly did such as the Lutherans and the Moravians. Working my way through one of the early chapters, I was struck by how much folklore and superstition revolved around Christmas time and I thought I would share some of my findings with you.

Many of the people who settled in this part of Pennsylvania came from the Palatinate region of Germany and believed very strongly in the supernatural power of the surrounding environment. They also believed they could influence it as well. In due time, this belief made its roots into America. Growing up in Chester County, Pennsylvania I remember hearing that animals could speak on Christmas night.

The idea of animals speaking is a common folk belief and most of these Pennsylvania Dutch supernatural occurrences are said to take place between 11pm and midnight. During this time not only do the animals talk, you can also see your future husband or wife, cut dowsing rods for water or iron, or cast silver bullets to kill your enemy. Make sure to mark your calendar and be awake at that time.

Some of my favorite Christmas superstitions involved predicting what the next year will bring. For example: many people believed that if the ground was white at Christmas it would be green at Easter. Or if the geese waddled in mud between Christmas and New Year they will do so every single month of the following year, (i.e. it will be a wet and rainy year). Perhaps the best superstition of all was that if you changed your underwear between Christmas and New Year’s you would get boils.

Quiet Valley Blog is written by Kat Muller as she explores her first year on the farm.

Sauerkraut: How We Prepare a Pennsylvania German Favorite

Kat M — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 00:10:00 +0000

Fermented foods play such a large role in human history and prehistory. Food manipulation and preservation has allowed us to survive throughout unending climate variations. While things that are old and moldy may not be everyone’s favorite treats, we are alive today because our ancestors figured this out. Fermentation is used to detoxify poisonous plants and make them edible. Fermentation is involved in the process of preserving food for a later date.

Making sauerkraut is surprisingly easy. In the garden at Quiet Valley, we grow numerous heads of cabbage which are usually gathered 10-20 heads at a time. We have two wonderful cabbage experts who prep those heads down into thin slices. Fun fact: did you know cabbage plants will regrow heads? If you slice them early, you will get miniature heads growing back in their place.

Once the cabbages are sliced thinly they are placed in a large stoneware crock where salt is added. The salt causes the cabbage to release water and keeps dangerous bacteria from growing. Although salt does encourage bacterial growth, it’s the kind that causes fermentation and not spoilage. The cabbage is then pounded down to the bottom of the crock and the salt water forms a protective seal over the top. This is allowed to ferment for at least a couple of weeks but some people may wait a couple of months.

Once it is ready, according to Gary Oiler (one of the founders of the museum and the resident sauerkraut expert) we scoop out the top and bag it up. Here at the museum, we freeze the sauerkraut for Christmas time. But it can just as easily be canned or eaten straight away. Traditionally, the Pennsylvania Germans would eat sauerkraut and pork as part of their New Year’s celebration because pigs root forward and it was believed to bring good luck.

The Quiet Valley Blog is written by Kat Muller as she explores the farm museum throughout the year. Follow along with Kat and learn about the farm!

Apple Butter Preparation & Cooking a Community Affair

Kat M — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 01:14:11 +0000

One of our favorite fall activities here on the farm is making some of the best traditional food around. At Harvest Festival, along with the craft demonstrations and games, we prepare heritage recipes for friends and family alike. For this blog post, I am taking a closer look at the processes involved in some of these classic dishes.

Apple butter has everything to do with apples and nothing to do with butter at all. Apple butter is similar to apple sauce but it is cooked for a long time, usually with apple cider. The apples caramelize causing the final product to take on a dark brown color. It has a creamy texture reminiscent of butter or jam and is often eaten like them, spread over toasted bread.

At Quiet Valley, we work hard to make apple butter in a traditional manner. Days leading up to our Harvest Festival, we have an apple party. All the apple dishes for the whole event are prepared including apple butter and apple pies. The apples are peeled, cored, and cut into disks. We use a special copper lined pot to cook the apple butter. The day before we start making apple butter, we fill it about halfway with apple cider and start it boiling. Once it has reduced by about half, the cored apples are added until it’s full. All day, we keep the fire burning and stir the pot full of apples. Many visitors pitch in to help as well!

Historically, this tradition of coming together to create seasonal foods served as a great way to strengthen the community. It provided a great way to meet friends, find someone to marry, and even make business arrangements. After about 8 hours, the apple butter is ready for canning so that its deliciousness can be preserved. We sell these wonderful jars at Harvest Festival and if you are lucky enough, during Old Time Christmas too!

Food is important because it brings together a sense of community. Food builds connections across time, language barriers, and gender. Next time you pass a plate, think about passing it to someone completely new. We also make scrapple and sauerkraut too!

Building Partnerships with Teachers, Educators, Museums

Kat M — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 23:48:00 +0000

It is always important in business to build partnerships with other businesses. This is particularly true with ones that share similar goals or products as your own (such as carpenters working closely with electricians); as well as forming partnerships with dissimilar businesses as a way to expand potential customers and clientele. This is particularly true with museums. We all struggle at times to draw in an audience and are often faced with similar challenges to overcome. Recently, Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm has been working towards building partnerships with a couple of different institutions.

East Stroudsburg Area School District has an amazing teacher in Mr. Bob Labar. He teaches history but works on incorporating technology into the classroom. In the spring, he reached out to Quiet Valley to see if we could build a partnership. Quiet Valley is perfectly geared for the curriculum his students study in their history classes, colonial through the mid 1800’s. As they study throughout the year, the students are going to be relating their lessons back to Quiet Valley. Since they incorporate technology with their lessons, they are going to be talking about Quiet Valley on social media and producing little videos we hope to share with our visitors. Keep an eye out on our website and social media to see them. This is a great partnership because it introduces a new age group to Quiet Valley, helps us engage with a new promotion strategy, and even allows us to reach out to prospective volunteers. It also allows a group of students a good case study for their history lessons that allows them to connect with the past and answer that constant question of “why should we care?” (or in teenage speech “so?”). We are really looking forward to building this partnership throughout the year. We hope to be able to grow the program into a cyber-classroom and teach students on other continents about Quiet Valley.

The second partnership I want to update you on is with the National Museum of Industrial History down in Bethlehem. NMIH has a large collection of industrial machines that were used for historic trades and crafts. As a Smithsonian-associated museum, big institutions like that don’t always pay attention to, or wish to partner with, smaller ones. Because our 43rd Annual Harvest Festival theme is “Forgotten Arts and Crafts”, we reached out to NMIH to see if there was anything they wished to demonstrate. To sweeten the deal, I spoke to them about my research on iron smelting. If I did a presentation or two for them, would they be willing to do a presentation or two for us? The answer, a resounding yes. NMIH will be out demonstrating a printing press and have invited an associated flint-knapping group to come out as well. This past weekend a group of us gathered at NMIH, performed a smelt, and produced a bloom of over 16 pounds of steel. It was the first time steel was made in Bethlehem since the furnace closed down in 1995. Pretty cool. Make sure to stop by and say “Hi” to NMIH at our Harvest Festival in October.

The Quiet Valley Blog is written by Kat Muller as she explores the farm museum throughout the year. Follow along with Kat and learn about the farm!

Widow’s Weeds: The Clothing Style of Surviving Spouses

Kat M — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 23:58:21 +0000

It’s great when visitors are interested enough in history to ask questions that lead to amazing discussions with interpreters. This summer, we’ve had a lot of great questions that have helped expand our understanding of life during the 1800s. This week’s question was about “Widow’s Weeds” during the mid-to-late 1800s.

“Widow’s Weeds” is an 18th century term for the black crepe fabric widows would often wear while mourning their loved ones. It comes from the Old English word “waed”, meaning “garment”. Prior to the Victorian period, it was considered customary to mourn lost loved ones but the Victorians took it to a whole other level. They developed and encouraged certain rules of behavior that were particularly focused on widows. It was customary for a widow to go into what was called full mourning for a year. During this time she was to wear a veil (the widow’s weeds) over her face, she was not permitted to attend social functions, or generally be seen out in public. Then, for another half-year up to a year she was in half-mourning and was permitted to attend some social occasions and could start adding more texture to her black wardrobe. During her last six months of mourning, the widow could start adding more color to her clothes including white, gray and light purples. The Met in New York had a great display about mourning fashion.

After her period of mourning ended, women were expected to remarry-particularly if they were young and had inherited money. A widow was somewhat socially dangerous; she no longer had a male protector (either father or husband) and as a widow could own property, this could give her a level of freedom unknown to her peers as she would be able to engage with men with a slightly more equal standing in society. A widow could gain some power without losing her reputation. This side was often seen in political cartoons through the 1800s.

Men had it a bit easier. If they were a ‘junior’, they couldn’t drop the junior from their name until their father was buried. Men’s mourning clothes were not that different from their regular daywear. A widower was generally expected to be in mourning for about 6 months to a year for his wife.

Mourning was very expensive. Like today’s wedding shops, the 19th century saw mourning parlors where people could go and buy anything they needed. Going into mourning could bankrupt a family. Oftentimes, frugal family members would just overdye their clothes to make them black. A method often used by individuals of limited disposable income was to wear a special armband. Nevertheless, proper society considered these socially inappropriate for anyone not in uniform.

World War I really saw the end of the strict Victorian standards. With so many people dying during the Great War, it was just impractical to keep the strict traditions. And the 1920s saw the transformation of the widow’s black dress into the little black dress. Today, while many people still wear black to funerals, it is not always necessary. It’s considered more appropriate for people to look well-appointed and to honor the memory of the person.

Now you know a little bit more about life during the 1800s. This blog is written by Katherine Muller, Executive Director of Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm. It is intended to help visitors explore and learn about life on the farm throughout history and as Katherine explores and learns more about the farm too.

Toothbrush & Toothpaste development by the 1800s

Kat M — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 22:29:00 +0000

In my previous post we addressed a question raised by a visitor regarding 1800s toiletries, specifically toilet paper and toilets. This got us curious…what about toothpaste and toothbrushes?

TOOTHBRUSHES AND TOOTHPASTE

It seems that people have been trying to clean their teeth for as long as we’ve had civilization. Some of the earliest recipes to make toothpaste were written by the Egyptians and Babylonians. Throughout most of history toothpaste was a powder that was rubbed onto the teeth with a frayed stick, a finger, or a cloth. The Egyptians seemed to prefer a toothpaste with lots of grit….yum. Ingredients such as charcoal, crushed burnt bone, oyster shell, sand, and pumice are common ingredients.

By 1600 BC the Chinese were selling chewing sticks from aromatic trees to clean teeth. They invented recognizable toothbrushes around the 1400’s. This consisted of bristles made from boar neck hair attached to a bone or bamboo base.

18TH AND 19TH CENTURY TOOTHBRUSHES

The first commercially produced toothbrushes were made around 1780 by William Addis in England. Toothbrushes were not exceedingly common for most of American history. It is estimated that only 1 in 4 Americans owned a toothbrush in 1920. Toothpaste was usually burnt bread mixed with spices such as cloves, salt, and vinegar.

A dentist named Peabody produced a toothpaste that contained soap in 1824. Soap was an ingredient in toothpaste until 1945. Many toothpastes during the mid-1850’s contained chalk powder. And many cookbooks contained recipes for toothpaste that involved charcoal. By about 1850 toothpaste began being sold in jars usually with labels like “Crème Dentifrice”. Toothpaste began being put into tubes by Dr. Washington Sheffield in 1890.

Amazingly, tooth care hasn’t changed too much but our technology and methods have gotten updated. So now you know something new.

The Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm blog is written by Kat Muller, as she explores and learns about the farm during her first year employed here. This blog post is part of a series answering the questions posed by visitors and oftentimes stump or puzzle the interpreters.

Slow Adoption of Toilets & Toilet Paper in the 1800s

Kat M — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 21:57:00 +0000

Some of my favorite questions as a living history interpreter are ones that deal with ordinary activities we tend to overlook in our daily lives because they are so common. These activities happen without us thinking about it. For example, when walking from the bright sun into the Cellar Kitchen at Quiet Valley a visitor asked “can’t you turn on the lights?” Well, in 1820 there was no electricity to turn on; they had to light lamps or candles. This really gets a visitor thinking and leads us to some interesting research on other day to day activities, namely the bathroom routine – toilets, toilet paper, tooth brushes, and toothpaste. Here is what we found out:

TOILETS AND TOILET PAPER

The Romans were rather advanced when it came to most things, including toilets. They very famously had public ones where dozens of people could go at the same time connected to a sewer system with flowing water to wash things away. Seems rather odd to us but privacy is a very new cultural trend. Archaeologists, such as Ann Olga Koloski-Ostraw, are discovering that Romans even had some in their private homes. The first flushing toilet was invented for Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1596. She did not care for it at all. It was noisy and if she went to the room with the toilet the courtiers would know what business she was about. A chamber pot or a toilet stool could easily be brought to you for your “necessary” needs. The embarrassment of people seeing you take a trip to the toilet or to buy toilet paper took a long time to overcome.

The first practical flushing toilet appeared around 1778 and was invented by Joseph Bramah. Toilets started to catch on in popularity but there was a problem. Unlike the Romans, there were little to no sewer systems. Most toilets lead down into a cesspool under the house or outside the house. Most ordinary people had an outhouse or just dumped their waste into the street. It wasn’t until 1859 that the first planned sewer systems were built in both America and England. By the 1890s sewage treatment plants were being built to help prevent disease such as cholera and typhoid. The Victorians started many campaigns aimed at living better lives and focused on everything from cleaner water to education.

It took a rather long time for toilet paper to appear on the scene. The earliest toilet paper seems to have been invented in China around the 6th century. The first commercially made toilet paper was Gayetty’s Medicated Paper for the Water Closet. There were flat sheets instead of the roll to which we are all accustomed. The advent of a flushed toilet changed what was used as toilet paper. When people used privies it didn’t really matter what was used as toilet paper since it went down a hole. So items like corncobs, straw, water, and sticks were common. But these items couldn’t make it through the bends and turns of pipes. Newspapers and pages from catalogs were used in outhouses to such a point early Old Farmer’s Almanac’s were printed with a hole in the corner to be easily hung on a hook. It wasn’t until about 1930 that toilet paper was a commercial success since prior to that people were embarrassed to buy it in stores!

There are some fun facts to brighten your day.

Hunting in the 19th Century: Animal Diversity & Regulation

Kat M — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 16:47:00 +0000

Every day offers another opportunity for the interpreters to learn something new at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm. Many times these lessons come in the form of questions from our visitors. If you have ever been to Quiet Valley and gone on our tours, you’ve probably visited the 1820s Cellar Kitchen where we discuss life early in the farm’s history. We mention a little bit about hunting which prompted a visitor to ask, “What did you hunt and what were the regulations about hunting?” Great question! Here is what we’ve found.

Many of our ancestors came from Europe from the 1600s onward. In Europe, only members of the nobility could hunt wild animals. For commoners, this was considered poaching and was punishable by hanging (at least in England). People poached all the time and there was generally public support for poachers because oftentimes they were just trying to feed their families. For example, in the tales about Robin Hood, he originally becomes an outlaw because he poached the king’s deer.

The idea of the common person hunting was laid out in William Penn’s Charter in 1683. If you owned the land, you could now hunt on it. This was one of the many incentives for people to move to the new world. By the early 1800s many of the animals that once roamed Pennsylvania’s woods were becoming rarer. In 1801 the last bison was shot in Pennsylvania. By 1820 Johan Simon and Susan Meyer, who owned the property that would become Quiet Valley, would have probably seen deer, elk, black wolves, and mountain lions. But by their children’s generation, these animals would have been rarely sighted.

The first regulations regarding deer hunting were introduced in 1869 establishing hunting season as September 1st through December 31st. In 1873 it became illegal to kill a fawn in spotted coat and hunt on Sundays. Chances are, deer would not have been nearly as plentiful in the 1820s as they are today but they would have still been present. When the Meyer family hunted, it was probably for small game such as birds or rabbits. Refrigeration wasn’t possible yet in 1820. It’s much easier to consume a small amount of meat than to try and store a whole elk in the middle of summer.

Thank you for the great questions visitors! Keep them coming!

This blog is written by Kat Muller, administrator at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, in her first year of working at the farm. Follow along on her discoveries and (mis)adventures as she learns about agriculture, animals, and much more.