If This House Could Talk -- Blog Post #17
True to his nature, Charles improved on my summer kitchen in 1887. He had his carpenter, Mr. Grimm, add a courtyard veranda that connected me to it. With its gingerbread, it had a grander wood trim than before. Some of the gingerbread could barely be seen. Even though it was a large expenditure, Charles decided it was good.
When visitors tour my summer kitchen today, they have only hints of what it was like in Charles’ day. The summer kitchen was in full swing from May through October. In order to keep me cooler, daily meals-- breakfast, dinner (mid-day meal), and supper (evening meal)-- were cooked in my summer kitchen on a woodfired stove and carried to my dining room to be eaten. Breads, pies, and cakes also were baked in the oven of the cast-iron cookstove.
Summertime was the time to can fruits and vegetables for use during the winter. Depending on what was in season, jams and jellies were made from cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and peaches. When Charles’ daughters, Tinnie and Jennie, were older, they were regulars at jam and jelly making. One day Tinnie put up 45 glasses of strawberry jelly and 40 glasses of cherry jam, all hot work.
Mondays were wash days. Work started at 4 a.m. while it was still cool. Hot water for washing was heated on the cookstove. The clothing and bedding were scrubbed in tubs and hung outside on lines to dry. There was so much laundry that Charles had ten posts with lines added to the south of my summer kitchen so there would be enough space to hang everything to dry.
Once dry, the clothing had to be ironed. Cast iron irons were heated on the cook stove to press the clothing. Fluting irons were used to create decorative pleats in fabric, especially for ruffles, cuffs, and collars.
Pictured in the 1891 photo above is the courtyard veranda from 1887. It connected my summer kitchen on the left and the other outbuildings back of it to my southern entrance. It was embellished with fanciful gingerbread trim. Hanging baskets and potted plants added lush foliage to my brick courtyard.
