Sam Daggett's House: Its History Before Greenfield Village

Today's post will be loaded with old  (mostly black & white)  photos of the Daggett House - most of which were acquired from  (and are here through the courtesy of)  the Benson Ford Research Center library on the campus of The Henry Ford.   Other pictures I found through my own outside research,  including the Andover Historical Society in Andover,  Connecticut.  Of course,  there are a few of the more current pictures that I took that are also included.  I mean,  every picture tells a story,  right?  Either way,  I found there is quite a bit of great Daggett information rarely heard or even known/remembered out there,  and,  for those of us who like to go deeper than the average bear in our research,  I'd like to share some of my findings.

~     ~     ~

*Anything of what you are about to read that is italicized comes directly from the archives or may be quoted from elsewhere.

.

From the video of the same name.

It speaks of Samuel Daggett and his family, 

and of the house and how it was brought

to Greenfield Village.

What?---more on the Daggetts?

Yup!

I've had multiple people actually tell me that I'm obsessed  with this house.

I laugh at that - I've seen and heard of people who have real obsessions,  like some who watch football:

"I watch two games on Sunday.  I tape three,  then I watch the Monday game;  Tuesday I watch one of the three I taped,  Wednesday I watch another one...I watch the Thursday night game,  then Friday I watch the Sunday night game.  Saturday I watch college football."

Bill Burr  (comedian)

Now,  I would say that  is a bit obsessive.

But it's cool - it's what he loves.

My point is,  no one blinks an eye at sports obsessions,  but me visiting the Daggett House once a week or so,  researching the family,  and perhaps writing blog posts about it is somehow extreme?

For me Samuel Daggett,  his family and his life,  just seems to fit the criteria of  me  if I had lived back in those mid-18th century days.

But,  as for my passion for this house:

A)  The house is an authentic historical artifact that was built around 1750  (my favorite time-period)

B)  It is restored to look as it may have during the last half of the 18th century  (yes!!)

C)  As it sits inside Greenfield Village,  period-dress presenters work in and around the house,  doing chores and activities of those who actually lived in it when it was first built  (I,  myself,  have watched and learned and then researched and even taught a little as well)

D)  This more than likely would have been my life had I'da'  lived back then  (and I'm sort of experiencing it every visit to the frontier cabin - see links at the bottom of this post)

E)  It is the only historical house of its kind in not only metro-Detroit,  but in all of Michigan,  and I even know of a husband and wife who replicated this house on their own property!

So I also run a Daggett Facebook Fan page  (Friends of  the Daggett House),  and a few times a week at the minimum I try to post pictures I take during my frequent visits,  as well as information about either the family,  the house,  or of the times in which the family lived.  It was during one of these quick posts that I came up with the idea for this week's blog to show a history of the house itself from its beginning through when it was first brought and restored at Greenfield Village back in the late 1970s.

Darn!  More research!

Here  'tis!
Greetings from the 18th century!

Let's begin by discussing the architectural style of the Daggett house.  What is known as a saltbox-style house was called either a lean-to or a breakback during the 18th century,  and it was a very popular architectural style in colonial Connecticut.  This type of architecture design is a direct descendent of rural houses in medieval England.  English settlers created this manner of engineering by adapting said medieval house form to meet the different needs and weather of northeast America.  The most distinctive feature is the asymmetrical gable roof,  which has a short roof plane in the front and a long roof plane in the rear,  extending over a lean-to - in this case,  the kitchen.  I have read that this form got its  "saltbox"  name years later from the similarly shaped small chests used for storing salt at that time.   It's design also reveals the layout of the interior where little effort is made to disguise the wooden structural members.  

The style was perfect for the harsh New England climate. 

Painting by Ian Kushnir

It seems the more I research,  the more I've come to find that there is an interesting history here,  greater than originally thought,  and coming from a different angle.  

It is interesting to note that when this  "Wells Saltbox House" / “Connecticut Saltbox House”  (as it was known during its early years at Greenfield Village)  was acquired by The Henry Ford,  it had very little attached history to it.  Just the basics and enough to make its acquisition worth while.  It wasn’t until after it was brought and reconstructed at the Village that any deep research was done on the family who once lived in it.  But it took time to dig up the information that we now consider commonplace:

So here in the 2020s we know that the builder and original owner was a man named Samuel Daggett,  who was born on February 3,  1722,  in Lebanon,  Connecticut Colony,  British Colonial America.  His father,  Deacon John Daggett,  was 24,  and his mother,  Margery Eames,  was 27.  Samuel married Ann Bushnell on April 17,  1754,  in Lebanon,  Connecticut.  When Ann was born on April 12,  1733,  in Norwich,  Connecticut Colony,  British Colonial America,  her father,  Nathaniel Bushnell,  was 47,  and her mother,  Mehetable  Allen,  was 38. 

In the collection of photographs here we have the earliest known images of 
the Daggett House as it sat in its original location where Samuel built it
in Andover,  Connecticut.

The house looks a bit ramshackled in these pictures because,  well, 
it was a bit ramshackled before it was sold to Mary Wells in 1951.

When this housewright  (and farmer)  built his house he,  as mentioned,  erected it in Coventry  (now Andover),  Connecticut around the year 1750,  on a spot known as Shoddy Mill Road atop 80 acres of land,  half of which had been deeded to him by his father.  As far as I have been able to find,  the house was built just a few years before he married Anna Bushnell in April of 1754.  Samuel and Anna had three children:  daughters Asenath  (b.  1755)  and Talitha  (possibly known as Tabitha,  but Talitha is on most records),  born 1757,  and a son,  Isaiah,  who was the youngest and was born in 1759.

In this picture we see the house was being prepared to be taken apart
and moved about 35 miles away,  from Andover,  Connecticut to Union.

It's interesting,  and yet a little sad,  to see my favorite house in this state & condition.
However,  from this perspective,  I do know its future.
And it's a good one! 

Yes,  pretty debilitated,  I would say~
As is written on the photograph:
"A rearview of the back of the saltbox prior to its 1951 restoration.  There are
fewer windows,  and a door.  The building off the back is a shed not original
to the 18th century."

Not as good of resolution but we can see the back shed a little better.

And here's a nice,  clear shot.

I really like the idea that what we are seeing in the above black & white photos is the house where Samuel Daggett originally built it before it was removed to Union.  I only wish they would have taken photos of the surrounding property.  Well,  at least we have these.

From what I recall when the house was first brought to Greenfield Village,  there were questions and uncertainties on the original owner.  As previously stated it was called either the Connecticut Saltbox House or the Wells House.  This is how it was listed in the old guide books.  In fact,  there is still a small plaque located on the back of the house:

Yep---the plaque of the donor is still there!

Now,  it was the contacts The Henry Ford / Edison Institute made who were able to locate the original builder and owner of this house.  As Timothy J.  Chester wrote in an article,  now in the files of the Benson Ford Research Center:  "The principle researchers within the Andover Historical Society are Margaret Hamilton Talbot,  wife of  the real estate agent who sold Mrs.  Wells the house,  and a Mr.  Phillip Brass,  Ph.  D.,  both of Andover.    Mr.  Brass,  using land and probate records,  has drawn up land ownership maps of the Andover area for the years 1710 through 1790.  In the opinion of these local historians,  the Wells saltbox house was occupied and built by Samuel Daggett,  a housewright.

As no other plausible history of ownership has been offered,  the feasibility of Daggett ownership deserves to be tested."

And test they did,  digging deep into their archives:

From the Collections of The Henry Ford
we have a wonderful map of the land owners
of Andover in 1750,  right around the time
Samuel built his home.

1720 - "Saltbox"  land not yet purchased from representatives of legatees

1730 - "Saltbox"  land still held by proprietors

1732 - "Saltbox"  land purchased by Capt.  Joseph Swetland,  of Hebron,  presumably as an investment

1740 - 90 acres of this land purchased of Swetland by John Daggett of Lebanon---approximately 20 acres owned by Obadiah Newcombe of Hebron;  approximately 40 acres retained by Capt.  Swetland

1744 - 40 acres of John Daggett's Coventry land is deeded to his eldest son,  Samuel Daggett

174? - Samuel Daggett acquires adjoining 40 acres from Capt.  Joseph Swetland of Hebron

1746 - Samuel Daggett begins to reside on his Coventry land

1757 - Mention is made of Samuel's house in Coventry

*Note* - - this does not mean 1757 is when the house was built.  It was common to have a house/homestead ready for a new bride and future kids,  so I still believe it was built around 1750 or somewhere during the early 1750s~ 

1764 - John Daggett wills the remainder of his Coventry land to his eldest son,  Samuel Daggett,  excepting 20 acres set aside for Samuel's younger brother,  John Daggett Jr.

Estate of Obadiah Newcombe goes bankrupt

1772 - John Daggett Jr.  sells 20 acres to Samuel 

1798 - Will of Samuel Daggett mentions his cider mill near his house and workshop.  It is pertinent to note that the house site area is today surrounded by the remains of an extensive apple orchard.

Upon review of the above material,  and of land abstract maps prepared by Phillip Brass,  the following facts have been extracted:

The original site of the saltbox house now in Greenfield Village was on land owned by Samuel Daggett of Coventry,  Connecticut.  Reasonable evidence exists to show that it was unlikely that a house stood on the land before purchase by John Daggett in 1740.  The land was Indian land until 1708,  and not purchased for reasons other than speculation until John Daggett acquired it.  As John Daggett had his own house and land in Lebanon,  it may be supposed that he did not build a house upon the Coventry land.  

Four years later,  his son's reaching the age majority  (maturity?),  he deeded forty acres of this land to his son Samuel,  specifically referring to him as a  "housewright"  by trade.  By 1746,  Samuel no longer lived with his parents,  but was a legal resident of Coventry,  presumably living in some sort of primitive shelter upon his land.  By 1758,  Samuel was married  (and we learned he married in 1754),  and in 1759 was listed as having a house on his land.  (Again,  with he and Anna actually marrying in 1754,  I believe he had a house already for her and did not live with her in  "some sort of primitive shelter,"  but in an actual house - probably the one we all know and love now in Greenfield Village).

It is unlikely that Samuel had more than one house on his land,  as only one house is mentioned in his will.  The same house remained in the hands of Anna Daggett,  Samuel's wife,  until her death in 1832.  A detailed map drawn up in 1839 for the Hartford/Providence/Fishkill Railroad shows a house to be on the Daggett land.

Conclusion

The Wells saltbox house was,  without a doubt,  owned by the Daggett family,  as both fact and native tradition attests.  

The conclusion also attests to the house possibly being built as early as 1746.

As late as 1983 this house was listed in the Greenfield Village guidebooks as The Connecticut Saltbox House,  and then the next guidebook that I purchased,  from 1989,  called it the Home of Samuel Daggett.  And right around that time - the late 1980s - comments from the Village Planning Committee mentions,  "Glad to see a name change on the Daggett House!  Never could understand why a 1760s interpretation was given a late 19th century name."   (The  "saltbox"  term was not used to describe this architectural design until sometime in the mid-to-late 1800s)~ 

And,  if we also look over the information from Timothy Chester,  we can also conclude that Samuel Daggett had 160 acres of land by 1772  (increased from 40 in 1744 and 80 in 1746).  By 1791,  according to the tax list,  this had reached 218 acres,  but only 16 acres of this total was plowed land.  By looking over Samuel's account books and digging through the Benson Ford sources,  we learn that the following are crops he mentions:

~hay

~rye

~wheat

~corn

~barley

~oats

~flaxseed  (he likely took this to a linseed oil mill in the local area)

~beans

~potatoes

~hops

~tobacco

~apples  (cider)

~turnips

and here are a few crops mentioned in his will that he bequeathed to Anna:

-wheat

-rye

-corn

-apples

Just to note how important apples for cider was to Samuel,  from his own account book we see that in the year 1763  "I made 21 barils of cider"

1764 - 7 barils

1765 - 16 barils

1766 - 8 barils

1767 - 10 barils

1768 - 20 barils

1769 - 19 barils

By the way,  it takes approximately 30 to 40 apples to yield one gallon of cider,  and,  depending on the size of the barrel used,  about 40 gallons of cider,  or slightly more,  would fill an 18th century barrel.  

And it would take about 60 to 65 gallons  (or more,  depending)  to fill a hogshead, 
as seen in the Daggett kitchen below:

Here is a great comparison of a couple of barrels to the larger hogshead  (on the left).
This photo was taken inside the Daggett kitchen.

I suppose in a way I like to think that the world of Sam Daggett is being represented in the pictures here,  for I have little doubt his apple yield was similar to what you see here.  Yes,  in the top photo with me standing in front of thousands of apples,  that is Samuel's house there on the right - I did a little computer photo-trickery in this picture,  as a composite of four photos.
The other two are as you see them.

Cider presses in Samuel Daggett's time were stationary,  so the references to  "my cider mill"  in his will probably describes an actual physical place on the farmstead.  This could have described the common-type of mill where the ripe apples were first shoveled into a round trough,  where they were crushed by a horse-drawn roller.  Then the pulp was carried to a press where the juice was extracted.  Not all farmers had these--they were often shared with neighbors,  with the work being done communally.  However,  there is a reference in the account book to Daggett working on at least one other farmer's cider mill  (probably helping to get it in working order).

"In early winter the amber juice of autumn sat hissing and bubbling in the cellar in the most active stage of fermentation,  a process which came to be described poetically as the  'dinging of the cider' "

(Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

He also mentions livestock in his account books:

+swine  ("pork")

+beef cattle  ("beef,"  "veal,"  "tanned calfskin")

+dairy cattle  ("cheese,"  "butter")

+sheep  ("mutton"---these also would have been raised for wool)

And there is the stock mentioned in various tax lists through the years:

+oxen

+cows

+horses

and in his will:

+heifers  (a cow under 3 years of age that had not produced a calf)

+steers  (castrated male bovine - could also be an ox)

+barrow hog  (a hog that weighs more than 120 pounds and was raised for market)

+sow  (a female pig)

+three swine

+two shoats  (a young weaned pig)

+twenty two sheep

Besides building his own home,  Samuel Daggett also framed nearly every other house in the surrounding area,  as his account book at the Connecticut Historical Society attests. 

As an adult,  Isaiah Daggett,  Sam's son,  purchased land for a house from his father in 1793.  According to a Daggett family diary,  Isaiah built his house not too far from his parents'  in Andover in 1805.  The Daggett daughters married and moved off to raise their own families,  one moving as far away as New York.  

Samuel died on August 24,  1798,  in Andover,  Connecticut,  at the age of 76,  and was buried in Andover,  Connecticut.

(from  Family Search)  

I did learn from the Greenfield Village research that Anna remained in the house her husband built until her death on January 28,  1832  (at the age of 98),  and that's most likely where she died as well. 

Encircled are gravestones belonging to the Daggetts
in the Old Andover Cemetery.
(Picture taken by Steven Lindsey)

Both Samuel & Anna are buried next to each other in the Old Andover Cemetery not far from where the family home once stood.   Also,  two of their children,  Talitha and Isaiah,  remained in the same area where they were born,  while Asenath moved north to New York state.

“Prior to its acquisition by the Edison Institute”  (as The Henry Ford was known in the 1970s),  “the house stood in the town of Union,  Connecticut where it was moved"  (from its original location in Coventry  - now Andover - Connecticut)  "and restored by Mary Dana Wells in 1951."

So what happened to the house - who lived there - between Anna Daggett's death and when Mrs.  Wells purchased it?  

It was known as the Jack Hunt House when a man named Mr.  George Watson first became aware of it  (more on Watson shortly),  for Mr.  Hunt was considered the last owner before Wells took it over;  but how about before him?

It is unfortunate that I have no information to give on that,  nor any information about Jack Hunt.

One thing we do know:  whoever owned it in the 19th century  "updated"  the structure by overlaying it with the popular Victorian styles,  of which was removed when Mrs.  Wells purchased the house.  I,  unfortunately,  have no pictures of its  19th century  "updated"  look during this time.

The Daggett House when it belonged to Mary Dana Wells in the 1950s.
This was taken after the move from Andover to Union and after her restoration.

As noted in the collection of photos toward the top of this post,  this structure was in a sadly dilapidated state  when discovered by George Watson,  who was an architect and restorer that worked at Old Sturbridge Village,  the open-air museum located in in Sturbridge,  Massachusetts.  Old Sturbridge Village,  presents  "a vivid and unforgettable portrait of life in a country village in  (early 1800s)  New England.  With more than forty buildings----ranging from private homes to a working sawmill and gristmill----and an ambitious program of using interpreters in period clothing to interact with and educate visitors,  Old Sturbridge Village has made the past come alive for millions of people.  It's these presentations that document the work and daily life of a past that might otherwise be forgotten."

Due to his extensive knowledge and noting how rough both the interior and exterior of the house was,  Mr.  Watson felt it had been over ten years since anyone lived in the  "Jack Hunt house,"  so he pitched the idea of it being removed and restored at Old Sturbridge Village.  However,  there was no interest in its removal to that open-air museum because of the early date in which it was built,  as evidenced in its construction;  it was not appropriate to the 1790 to 1840 span of collections in which Old Sturbridge Village portrays.

It was Watson,  then,  who brought Mary Dana Wells'  attention to this house.  When she had much of the 19th century overlay removed,  she exposed  "its original unbalanced facade.  Its typical 18th century design prompted Mrs.  Wells to purchase the building."  

Once Mrs.  Wells purchased the home she had it removed from Andover to approximately 35 miles southwest to Union,  Connecticut,  in 1951 where she applied her restoration to the house.  Mr.  Watson noted that had Mrs.  Wells not purchased the home,  it would not have lasted much longer.

It is mentioned that the only change made when the house was moved to Greenfield
Village was on the outside wall of the parlor where they found a portion of the
house was rotting.  The workers cut in the room a bit and were able to make it work, 
though it was now slightly smaller in width. 

However:

...I see this cut while the house still belonged to Mrs.  Wells,  so I have
to question whether or not she was the one who actually had it done or whether it
was the Greenfield Village restorers who did it.

Fact is fact,  and the cut is plainly seen in these Wells photographs before the house's removal to Greenfield Village.  In my opinion,  knowing the way the folks at Greenfield Village work,  I believe if they noticed rotting wood they would have replaced it,  similar in the way they had replaced the rear kitchen wall where Mrs.  Wells had the addition affixed,  as can be seen in the two pictures above and the one below.

Unfortunately,  the Benson Ford Research Center has been closed
to the public since Covid,  so I cannot delve deeper into the matter.
But,  mind you,  I will when the opportunity arises.

The structure served as Wells' home for the next 26 years,  until she could no longer keep it in its pristine colonial condition.  

While she lived in it,  she treated it as her home,  and,  as a collector of antiques,  she decorated the house as best she could in an 18th century manner,  and even included a few objects from a hundred years earlier - a mix n match of the 17th and 18th centuries.  There is a fascinating local pictorial called,  "Living With Antiques,"  in which we get a wonderful view of the house during her time as the owner.  The article,  from 1963,  states what Wells  "has achieved in only eight years or so,"  hinting she began her work in earnest in 1955.  Wells is also quoted in a film about her restored home as saying that in the winter she could not get the house warmer than 55 degrees,  even with all of the fireplaces going!

A cold New England Winter at the Wells home.
Here is a full view of the rear addition she had added.

For the following few pictures I included my own more recent shots to give the reader a better idea of the look from when Mary Dana Wells owned it:  the black & white photos are of when it belonged to Mrs.  Wells,  and the color pictures that I took shows how it looks fully restored back to its 18th century appearance roughly from the same angle.

Above:
Mary Dana Wells living quarters...
Below:
the same angle as it looks restored in Greenfield Village 

Above:
The same living quarters,  from the opposite angle...
Below:
Restored today

Above:
the front wall of the same room - Mrs.  Wells'  living quarters  (or her living room)
Below:
as it looks today - - 

Above:
and the kitchen  (though I do not see the addition she put on)
Below:
the kitchen restored - - - - 

It was in 1977 that Mrs.  Wells decided to donate this wonderful representation of colonial New England America,  complete with most of the colonial furnishings she collected,  as well as an endowment fund to maintain it,  to Greenfield Village.  Unlike Old Sturbridge Village,  Greenfield Village,  which shows over 300 years of American history,  readily and happily accepted such a gift!

Restoration specialists  (and old friend of the house and Mrs.  Wells),  George Watson,  as well as Donald Graham watched carefully as the Greenfield Village crew painstakingly dismantled the house and diligently reconstructed the numbered pieces at the far-end of the Village.

Still in Union,  Connecticut - before carefully removing the boards...
...and after.

We can see how each board and each stone was removed,  then numbered, 
 to be put back together at Greenfield Village.

The entire restoration works like a puzzle.
And between this photo and the one below,  the beams Samuel Daggett himself 
hewed by hand can easily be seen.

The frame that Samuel Daggett himself built.
How cool to see this!

The 1977/78 dismantling of the Daggett House to bring to Greenfield Village continues...

You can make out the fireplace and the beehive  (or bake)  oven on the 1st floor, 

and the hall chamber fireplace on the 2nd floor.

And the restoration below~

With continuous labor,  the house was ready for public viewing by the 1978 season.

The back wing Mrs.  Wells added to the rear of the structure to provide a modern kitchen,  auxiliary room,  and garage was,  thankfully,  not brought to Greenfield Village.

And...

The late 1980s inside Greenfield Village~
(I am not certain who took this photograph)
From the files of former historic interpreter,  Fred Priebe

Here we have the Daggett House as it looked in the late 1980s,  all restored and settled in what will probably be its final resting place.  It was at this time that Fred Priebe,  who passed away in 2020,  portrayed Samuel Daggett,  back when Greenfield Village experimented a little here and there with the 1st person presentation.

I remember back in the 1980s when I began to visit Greenfield Village more and more,  and more specifically,  the Daggett House,  so I must have seen Fred speak,  but I simply cannot recall it personally.

Anyhow,  before he passed away,  Fred gave me quite a few of his Greenfield Village papers,  including the speech he gave - memorized - as Samuel Daggett.  Here is a portion of it:

"You town folks and neighbors come gather by and give an ear to Sam Daggett.  Most of you know me,  by name or by sight,  a patient and God-fearing friend and neighbor.  Why,  I helped build some of your houses and barns...

I pray you listen to me now,  'cause there's a fire kindlin'  under me in this year of 17 and 87 that's roarin'  a storm within,  and I can't lay it by."

The speech then goes into a historical oratory,  and included thoughts on Shay's Rebellion and the Articles of the Confederation,  among other things,  which I found to be pretty fascinating.

Oh!  How I wish I could remember hearing it!

And how I wish Greenfield Village would revise this moment in time!

Next we a picture going back to May 8,  1988 from the Detroit Free Press.

Note the man in the middle - Mr.  Fred Priebe,  in the days he portrayed Samuel Daggett.  

From the files of Fred Priebe

Now,  what about the antiques Mrs.  Wells had inside the home?

The hall  (bed)  chamber,  located directly above the great hall.

Now used for storage,  this could have been the room where Talitha and Asenath slept.  

It's here where the furniture of Mrs. Wells is now kept,  numbered,  wrapped,  and covered. 

I was told it was specified by her that her furniture was to remain in the house as

part of the deal.  Since it was not all correct to the period in which Greenfield Village 

wanted to represent,  they held up their end of the deal and kept the furniture 

inside the home,  even though it's not displayed downstairs.

Before the Daggett House was brought to Greenfield Village,  the Plympton House was one of the main historic houses used to show colonial life,  as was the Susquehanna Plantation  (though they have discovered since that the Susquehanna House was not as old as they originally thought,  that it was actually from the mid-19th century,  so now they present it as such).

A still from the Daggett video~

It was easy to see that the Daggett House was something special,  something more suitable for their interpretive plans.  In fact,  they even made a thirty minute documentary film about the house,  "Sam Daggett:  600 Miles from Home."  After much searching,  I was finally able to obtain a VHS-to-DVD of this film,  and it includes so much information about the house's history,  how they acquired,  disassembled,  moved,  and re-assembled/restored this,  my favorite house,  and,  along the way,  the film intersperses short acting vignettes of people portraying the Daggett family.

What I liked seeing most was how,  for the most part,  the house was restored by using many of the same type of tools and tactics as Samuel Daggett himself used when he originally built the house way back when!

It's been a long-time coming for me to finally own a copy of this film - I've wanted it ever since I heard about it.  Many thanks to my friend who was able to get me a copy!

Another Daggett-related item is this:

A very interesting cookbook was published in 1979 by former Greenfield Village
presenter-turned-author Margaret Chalmers

Colonial Fireplace Cooking & Early American Recipes. was published in 1979,  only a year after the Daggett House was restored and re-erected inside Greenfield Village,  and includes:

General Directions for Fireplace Cooking,

Fireplace Utensils,

Cooking Utensils,

Care of Black Iron Pots,

and Methods of Cooking.

Then there are pages of recipes for such early American delights as various ciders,  fritters,  pies,  stews,  breads,  wassail,  fish,  desserts,  meats & vegetables,  and so on.  Mrs.  Chalmers also shows how to recreate her dishes using one’s own fireplace.

What I found interesting is that in 1971 she taught hearth cooking at Greenfield Village in,  as she writes,  “…the colonial kitchen of Clinton Inn at Greenfield Village in Dearborn,  Michigan.

There is nothing to compare with the rich smell of burning wood or peat intermingled with the fragrant odor of fresh breads and stews being cooked over an open fire.”

Oftentimes her own daughter,  Kerry,  would help.

I took this 35 mm photo back in October of 2001.
When I posted it on the  "Friends of Daggett House"  Facebook page,  a few former presenters noted that the hogshead there had dishes upon it,  which,  because this hogshead is an original 18th century piece,  is a definite no-no today.
Either way,  I absolutely love how this kitchen looks,  with the foodstuffs being preserved by hanging to dry out.  Just everywhere your eye goes,  preservation is occurring.

I wonder if  Mrs.  Chalmers initiated and taught the hearth cooking inside the Daggett House once it was placed inside the Village?  I do know that previous presenters there have passed down to new presenters their hearth cooking knowledge,  skills,  and secrets,  just as a colonial mother would have to her daughter(s).

This book's illustrator,  Margaret McAlister,  worked with arts and crafts at The Edison Institute  (now known as The Henry Ford)  since 1933,  and she was the art teacher for children attending the Greenfield Village Schools for many years.  

She sketched the wonderful piece of art below that has been placed inside Margaret Chalmer's book:

It is pretty telling that the book's author/chef cooked on the hearth in the kitchen at the Eagle Tavern  (then the Clinton Inn)  but includes this particular home as the only other artwork,  aside from the cover art.

From what I was told by a few of the older  "retired"  Daggett presenters,  Greenfield Village would have their Daggett interpreters watch the docu-drama called   "A Midwife's Tale,"  for it very accurately depicts very close of what it may have been like living at the time of the Daggetts.  It reminds me of the Daggett way of life,  to be honest. 

Ross Grover with Dorothy Bastien - both former Greenfield Village presenters from long ago - both were early Daggett presenters.  Ross was also the Cotswold blacksmith.
Many longtime Greenfield Village visitors may remember Ross walking Sam & Jeb,  the two oxen seen here,  throughout the Village streets to different locations,  including to Daggett,  as seen here.

I highly recommend  "A Midwife's Tale."  In fact,  I wrote a blog post about it - check it out HERE

It is to my understanding that there has been some recent talk on planting a few heirloom apple trees over near the Daggett House...as there should be;  cider was important to the man and his family and without it,  not all of the story is being told.

Personally,  this is what I'd love to see,  and include the stories of the agricultural changes between 1760s Daggett and the 1880s Firestone Farm  (on the other side of the Village)  so the changes can be seen as well as heard.

I hope that those who are familiar with and have visited the Daggett House now have an even greater understanding of this structure's importance in American history.  It took quite a bit of digging to find information about Samuel Daggett and the house he built,  since no one famous - not a Washington,  Franklin,  Adams,  Revere,  or Jefferson - ever lived in or even stepped through the doors for a visit.  But in itself,  in all consideration,  this was an early American family that lived here.  A family that were at one time a part of colonial America.  Then,  after the Revolutionary War and Independence,  they were first citizens. 

All right here.  

And it was men like Samuel Daggett,  along with his wife Anna and their children,  that helped to make America.

One more thing:

remember that hard-to-find Daggett film from 1979 I mentioned earlier?
Well,  here are three clips taken from it:

Until next time,  see you in time.

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I put together numerous Daggett clips I made to give a tour of how it is presented today:

click HERE for a more current video tour of the Daggett House

Click HERE for a current photographic tour

Click HERE for a greater understanding of how the Daggetts lived in the 1760s

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Epilogue:

If you are a regular,  or even casual,  reader of  this Passion for the Past blog,  then you probably know how I enjoy dressing in my period clothing and spending my time in and around this mid-18th century home of Samuel Daggett's,  emulating his time,  oftentimes enjoying talks with some of the presenters who work there.  You also know how I admire the cooking,  crafts,  and chores they do as well that helps to bring the past to life.

And you can probably guess how I've truly longed to be a part of it.

Well,  that dream has come true to a very large degree...and more,  actually;

over the past few years  (and still continuing on)  I've gotten to experience some of the most gratifying living history experiences ever:  a few of us bring 18th century activities to life nearly a half dozen times a year in an immersion sort of way...experiencing the past rather than just speaking about or watching it.

And most times with no public about - just us and the past. 

It all came about when I had a dream that I was in the Daggett House...but I wasn't just visiting - I was in my period clothing and actually working there!  But I wasn't working as an employee of Greenfield Village - - - for some reason I,  and a few others with me,  were allowed to make the house come to life by actually living there,  as if it were 1770.  Well,  you can imagine my disappointment when I woke up.  But it got me to thinking - - what if...hmmm?   And that's when I thought of the only place that ever allowed me,  with a few chosen people,  to make a historic place my home  (aside from Charlton Park & Detroit's Historic Fort Wayne).  So with a few living history friends I discussed my dream / idea and planned out what initially was our A Fall Harvest Day in 1770. 

It grew from there,  and below are the links to each of our immersive  experiences there...kinda my life as a Daggett:

To read about our 2020 autumn excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 wintertime excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 springtime excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 summertime excursion at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 summer harvesting of the flax at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2021 autumn excursion making candles at the cabin,  click HERE

To read about our 2022 winter excursion at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2022 spring excursion at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2022 summer excursion at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about our 2022 autumn excursion at the cabin  (Pioneer Day),  please click HERE

To read about our 2023 winter excursion at the cabin - Candlemas,  please click HERE

To read about our 2023 spring excursion at the cabin - Rogation Sunday,  please click HERE

To read about our 2023 late spring - more planting at the cabin  (& early farming history),  click HERE

To read about the 2023 early summer weeding at the cabin  (and a timeline event),  please click HERE

To read about our 2023 summer excursion at the cabin  (Lammas Day),  please click HERE

So...what's the history of your  house?

Here's mine...sort of - - 

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