We maintain and occasionally use our historic kitchen inside the house.
Our house is a 1857 farmhouse with a 1889 grand Queen Anne addition, with
final rework in 1915 which included a new modern kitchen.  By the time we
became a museum little of the original kitchen remained.  Based on some
fragments, and an oral history we were able to reconstruct the kitchen
accurately.  During the reconstruction we made a few minor modifications to
the stove installation to bring it up to code.  We were able to locate a
working wood burning stove of the correct manufacture and model (made by
the local stove company) Since the kitchen is largely a recreated space we
are willing to use it.  We typically cook on special events, and on
occasional high attendance school days.  Typically these are "Station days"
with a docent in each room instead of a tour through the house lead by a
single docent.

We typically cook something simple like corn muffins or sugar cookies, and
allow guests to taste.  On very hot days we sometimes make butter instead.
It does require some policing to keep food out of the rest of the house.
In some cases we take the cookies out to the porch where the guests exit.
How this is handled is a judgment call, based on crowds and on the item
being offered.

Adjacent to the kitchen is the former wet porch which is now a modern
kitchen, with refrigerator and dishwasher, which we use to support the
historic kitchen.

We have a few simple guidelines, basically Keep the food in the kitchen,
clean up afterworld, and a few about how a volunteer can be reimbursed for
the cost of supplies purchased.  We have offered a half day workshop for
existing volunteers which includes the safety guidelines (both personal and
guest safety) basic wood burning stove skills and  provides some ideas for
interpretation.

We consider cooking in the kitchen a living history enhancement rather than
a core program.  When we are at our best we also have lace makers in an
upstairs bedroom, a young lady reading in the library, and organist at the
pump organ, and occasionally someone working in the sewing room.

Randy Hees
Patterson House at Ardenwood Farm
City of Fremont, CA




> [Original Message]
> From: Lynn Laffey <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 11/3/2004 12:42:27 PM
> Subject: Cooking in a Historic House
>
> Hello,
> For those of you who work in a historic house....
> Do any of your sites offer cooking demonstrations within the historic
> house?  As part of these cooking demonstrations are wood fire stoves
> used?  Does your site have a specific policy on cooking programs?  Is the
> cooking/use of stove limited to only certain times of the year?
>
> Any information on your specific sites policy on cooking within the
> historic house would be helpful.
>
> Thank you
>
> Lynn Laffey
> Fosterfields Living Historical Farm
>
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