A 1774 Harvest-Thanksgiving Celebration: Living History at Waterloo Cabin

To quote Henry Ford when he began his Greenfield historic Village:

"When we are through,  we shall have reproduced American Life as lived;  and that,  I think,  is the best way of preserving at least a part of our history and tradition." 

And it's in this spirit that we take on 18th century life here at the Waterloo Pioneer Cabin.

Our colonial cabin crew - 1774.

"When the farmer has fallowed and tilled all the land,

And scattered the grain with a bountiful hand

And the team that had labored with harrow and plough,

Has conveyed the rich produce safe home to the mow.

Then what shall we do? what shall we do?

What shall we do? what shall we do?

Sing, Harvest Home! Harvest Home!

And shout with full voices our Harvest home!"

I have no information on this poem – not who or when.

But it sets the harvest mood,  for that was exactly what we were celebrating!

Now,  it wasn't very long ago that at this time of year that nearly everyone would have been busy in the fields from dawn  'til dusk,  continuing what they've been doing since late July - harvesting crops.  And when the crops came in,  the farmers celebrated!    

- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -

So...here we are,  celebrating our harvest---a sort of Thanksgiving in 1774!  But Thanksgiving of 1774 was celebrated differently,  as you shall soon see.

We have strived to make a spiritual,  emotional,  poetic,  dramatic,  and inspirational connection with our forebears.  We don't do 1st person for our events,  for 18th century English can be difficult to master  (click HERE).  However,  we do remain immersed in the time,  experiencing,  sharing,  and learning all we can,  and not speaking of current events  (the election,  for one example,  even though we were all on the same page!).  Instead,  our conversations,  though in modern English,  centered on historical topics.

Your Harvest Thanksgiving Colonial Cabin Crew!

At every cabin excursion,  we try at least one period activity that we've not done in this capacity before,  and this visit it was making apple cider.

It was last spring,  as I was scrolling through You Tube videos,  when I came across one that piqued my interest:  it was a video about making apple cider in the 18th Century.

Here it is:

And it's from here where I decided to take it upon myself to somewhat emulate Sam Daggett and the other farmers of the 18th century;  with me being the apple person that I am,  I had immediately formulated a plan for our fall cabin day,  even though it was still March and our cabin excursion would not be until November - eight months away.

First things first:

I needed a cider press.  So...I went to Ebay and searched...and searched...until I found a perfect smaller table-top press at a fair price,  which I excitedly purchased.

So there it is,  on the right.
I also needed a tub.  I found old tubs in antique and resale shops,  but they were pretty beat up,  and it was easy to see they would not hold liquid.  So I had to shell out a bit of cash and purchased a new one on line,  which also had a wax sealant.  That's it there in the center.
And then there's the cudgel lying across...

Upon watching the video I posted above the picture,  I saw how he mashed the apples with a cudgel.  But these things are not sold just anywhere.  Basically they are simply a long,  thicker tree branch.  While I was at the cabin during our summer jaunt last July,   I found a branch that I figured,  with a bit of work,  would make a fine cudgel.  So I cut it down to a good size,  brought it to my shaving horse and stripped off the bark. 

Here I am working on the cudgel at the shaving horse so I could use it in the same manner as what was done in the video:

Fall finally came and,  while at the cabin,  I was outside for hours - at least half the day -  mashing apples into what's called pomace.

I love learning new things about the old ways.
I watched the video and learned from their direction.   But we're not stealing - we're
sharing,  recreating,  and experiencing history by watching and learning from others.

By the way,  calling this  "apple cider"  may be a bit redundant,  for back in the 18th century,  if you said  "cider,"  everyone knew it was cider made from apples.  If it was  "perry,"  it was made from pears,  and if it was  "wine,"  it was made out of grapes.  That was the general consensus in those old days.

Larissa came out to make sure I was doing it correctly  (lol)~
Naw...she has a deep interest in all things history,  and since I've never mashed apples
in this manner before,  she was interested in seeing it done.
The four of us  (plus Jackie) - the main core of our cabin group - work so well together
in this capacity,  for each truly loves all aspects of living history and show a genuine interest in our historical activities!

Every private visit we do at the cabin seems to be a teaching lesson - sometimes it's a big lesson,  while other times it's small.  But smaller doesn't mean insignificant - it's still learning by doing,  and most times it is a success at that!  For instance,  as I spent half of the day out on the porch making cider,  Larissa shared how she better understood that those from the 18th century considered the outdoors - the land they owned - as part of their home...part of their work space.  Unless there was inclement weather,  the agricultural laborer oftentimes spent as much - if not more - time outdoors than inside.

One of our unspoken rules while here emulating life in the 18th century at the cabin is,  except for special occasions,  everyone who participates must  "earn his or her keep" - - you want to eat?  You must help out.  Perhaps by preparing and cooking the food.  Maybe by chopping down a tree,  making candles,  processing flax,  spinning,  working in the garden,  separating wheat from the chaff with a flail,  working the shaving horse,  spring cleaning...we have a variety of chores we've done over the years that we've been at the cabin.

Charlotte gave the cudgel a try.

From Ancient Roman times throughout America's past,  cider has a fascinating history that's weaved into cultures all over the world.  Not native to North America,  it was around 1623 when European colonists began planting apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from seeds and possibly grafts,  for in the 18th century,  grafting was used to create apple trees in the colonies and to improve the selection of fruit varieties.  The soil in New England and the Mid-Atlantic was well-suited to apple trees,  and cider became a staple beverage for early settlers.  Cider was a common drink for everyone, including children,  and was often used to pay taxes,  wages,  and tithes.  It was also used to make vinegar,  which was a food preservative.  As the oldest  (and most popular)  drink in the US,  its production methods and cultural significance have evolved since the first American settlements.

The apples on the left will soon become the mash  (or pomace)  on the right. 
The three varieties we used were McIntosh  (late 1700s/early 1800s),  Jonathan  (1790s),  and an unknown variety given to me by a friend taken from a tree on his property.

I've heard many,  many times that making cider by using more than one type of apple variety tastes much better than only using a single variety.

The oldest known apple varieties in America come from Massachusetts Bay Colony,  Plymouth Colony,  and Providence Plantation.  These include the Roxbury Russet,  High Top Sweet,  and Rhode Island Greening. 

I've learned that most people did not have a large press on their property,  but some may have had a smaller one,  such as the screw press you see me using here.  But if they had a large orchard,  they would have more than likely loaded the apples onto a cart and brought them to the nearest cider mill for the miller to do the job,  if they didn't have one situated on their property.  Oftentimes the miller would be paid in barter. 

From the information I found,  the screw press,  which is what you see being used here,  was invented in the 13th century and is still used today.

I've been researching cider presses,  for I really do my best to be as accurate
as I can,  as long as it is financially feasible for me to do so.   
From what I have been able to find in my digging,  the press I have here works
very well for our 18th century  (1774)  cider-making activity,  for this type of press
has been around in one form or another since the Medieval period.  For a filter
we use a cotton cheesecloth,  but I've read back in the day they may have also used
muslin,  linen,  and even straw!  Upon hearing this,  my wife noted that
straw must have really affected the taste of the cider.

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

   Steady thy laden head across a brook;

   Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,

      Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

(taken from the poem by John Keats  "Ode to Autumn"  --  1819/1820)

~A gleaner is one who gathers the remaining food after the reaper has harvested the field

~Laden means loaded down

The pomace being pressed - the juices are a-flowing.

In 1777,  during the American Revolution,  long-time cider lover,  John Adams,  wrote to his wife Abigail:  "I would give three guineas  (a little more than three pounds - 60 shillings - at the time)  for a barrel of your cider.  Not one drop of it is to be had here  (in Philadelphia)  for gold."

Norm pressed apples as well - - 

Bud and blossom,  bud and blossom

Bud and bloom and beer

So we may have plenty of cider all next year

Hatfuls and in capfuls and in bushel bags and all

And there′s cider running out of every gutter hole

Once we had enough pomace to fill the press bucket,  we began to turn the handle - the screw - to press and mash the pomace,  squeezing out every last drop of the sweet cider.  Once we could press no further,  and the dripping stopped,  the packed pomace would be removed and then brought to the garden,  emptied and spread for bees,  the deer,  and other area wildlife:

Dumping the pomace~
Whatever the wildlife doesn't eat will go back to the ground as a sort of
compost to improve soil structure,  increase organic matter,  and
provide nutrients for plants. 

Back to more pressing issues  (lol).

During one of the times I lifted the pomace out,  I did not realize there was a bee caught inside the cheesecloth and my pinky finger pushed onto it.  Of course,  I got stung---it felt like a hot needle pushing into my skin.

The bees that hang around generally don't bother or sting us,  for their only interest is the apple juices.  But by accidently putting my baby finger on one,  it gave me a taste  of its only defense.

No...I'm not allergic.  Except to the pain---youch!

You can see the pomace surrounded by the cheese cloth sitting inside the wooden basket.  The English word pomace,  by the way,  derives from Medieval Latin pomaceum,  which itself means  "cider"~  

Larissa gives the press a tilt to help to get all the juices out.

And then it would be back to the cudgel to bludgeon more apples.

Even though I had the unknown apple variety for over a week,  they didn't soften up at all over time,  as apples normally do,  so I had to cut them into pieces in order to mash them up easier.

The apple played a major role in American life from the outset.  The popularity of cider drinking was at or near the top of favorite drinks,  but cider itself was the raw material for other products that were essential to the colonists.

For one thing,  cider can be easily transformed into cider vinegar.  The change will happen spontaneously if too much air gets into the cider barrel during fermentation.  Otherwise,  a barrel of cider mixed with a third of a barrel of water was fitted with a loose-fitting lid and would include yeast.  In three to four weeks,  the yeast would convert the alcohol in the cider to acetic acid,   which is the sour basis for vinegar.  The cider was diluted to prevent the end product from becoming too strong.

The vinegar was used in pickling,  one of the important methods of preserving vegetables and fruits for winter use before the invention of  air-tight canning in the early 19th century  (canning was the newest of the food preservations methods being pioneered in the 1790s).

And then back to pressing more apples into cider.
Norm & I were out there half the day just to get enough drink for the four of us.
We enjoyed it when the ladies broke away from making our harvest meal
and came out to give us a hand.

Apple cider also could be distilled to make a type of  apple brandy,  popularly called Applejack  (but I have also read that the word  Applejack  was not used until 1816,  this according to the etymology of the word,  that it was called simply  "cider"  or  "apple brandy").  However,  I've read that the word  "applejack"  refers to its traditional freeze distillation,  or  "jacking,"  technique.  This is when a barrel of fermented cider was allowed to sit outdoors for part of the winter.  Freezing this fermented cider causes the alcohol to become concentrated in the center of the barrel.  By around February,  the  "applejack"  can be enjoyed by boring a hole through the barrel to the  "core"  to syphon out the powerful cider.   And this is why  "Applejack"  is especially associated with the northern colonies,  because the weather had to be quite cold for the recipe to work.  

A milder form of cider was called  "ciderkin"  or  "watercider."  

I very much appreciated Norm,  our minister's,  help.
Making cider is actually a two-person job~

As American as Apple Pie!
Or cider!
And we have potatoes,  too!

Our main purpose for this day was to celebrate an 18th century Thanksgiving.  Now,  we are not celebrating the Federal holiday of Thanksgiving here...but,  rather,  we are celebrating our own actual Harvest Thanksgiving---where we give thanks to the Lord Above for bringing us through another year as friends/farmer-gardeners,  and,  yes,  perhaps even as family.  This day for us was a day to truly give thanks,  for we celebrated the culmination of a year's worth of experiencing America's colonial frontier past.  Oh---it's true that we did not actually experience it living there,  but our one-day-at-a-time work and experience there has given us colonial-life experiences most only read about;  we fought off the cold of winter,  and we sowed/planted seeds in May,  then we cared for our crop throughout the spring and summer,  and,  come later August and into September and October,  we harvested our yield.  Throughout this time,  with Norm as our preacher,  we have asked God for His blessings upon our garden during the year,  as well as on special days when we celebrated long-lost older period holidays such as Rogation Sunday and Lammas Day.  This year,  more than in previous years  (and beginning with August 1st's Lammas Day),  God had found it fit to bless us with a good bounty.

So our giving of thanks was due to our own agricultural blessings.

And was a truly real thanks.

Got a good fire started first thing - - 
Once it simmered down,  the cooking began.

Getting ready to bake the apple pie.
Patty prepared the pie at our home,  to be cooked at the cabin.
She did not join us this day,  so it was just the four of us.

Ope!
Pinfeathers still on one of the cornish hens!

Charlotte & Larissa prepare the cornish hens on the spit inside the tin kitchen.

A bit of seasoning was added.

Larissa has worked in period farm cooking for most of her adult life at Greenfield Village.
I would consider her a  "master historical chef" - - 

In fact,  she is a regular Anna Daggett 😉!
You can see the steam coming off the mashed potatoes.

Please click HERE to become acquainted with the real Anna Daggett~

The reflector oven was used to cook our hens.

The portable tin reflector oven appeared in America around the second half of the 1700s.  Old probate inventories referred to it as a  “tin kitchen”  or  “tin oven.”   They were usually used to roast meat,  such as a chicken,  a goose,  a slab of beef,  or a large turkey  (or,  in our case,  two small cornish hens!).  

Food would also be reheated in these ovens.  (from THIS site)

The tin oven allows one to check on the food through a back door. 
The cook can also add any spices or whatever through here as well.

Pumpkins have a long history,  from their origins in North America to their use in American and English cuisine,  and as a Halloween decoration.  Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America around 9,000 years ago,  with the oldest seeds found in Mexico dating back to 7,000–5,550 B.C.    

However,  it wasn't until Irish immigrants arrived in America in the mid-1800s that the pumpkin became the carving vegetable of choice for All Hallow's Eve.  American pumpkins were larger and easier to carve than Irish turnips,  and the tradition quickly took off.

“The most popular pumpkins today are grown to be porch décor rather than pie filling,”  says history professor James E.  McWilliams of Texas State University and the author of Revolution in Eating. “They dominate the industry because of their durability,  uniform size  (about 15 pounds),  orange color,  wart-less texture,  and oval shape.”  Mass production of these poor-tasting pumpkins is a  $5 billion a year industry today.  McWilliams calls them  “a culinary trick without the treat”  and accuses them of being  “food in name only.”

Edible pumpkins have not been entirely forgotten.  Heirloom pumpkin seeds are available for those who want to grow the old-fashioned kind,  and farmer’s markets and upscale grocery stores sometimes carry older,  tasty varieties.

We planted and grew pumpkins in our cabin kitchen garden,  of which I am very proud.  And,  as 18th century living historians,  we use them in a more traditional manner.   A couple years ago,  Charlotte learned how to make a sort of pumpkin pudding in a traditional Native American way  (from a local Native friend).

To prepare the spiced pumpkin pudding treat,  Charlotte brought the pumpkin
out to the garden,  where making a mess can be beneficial to the local wildlife.

The spiced pumpkin pudding that Charlotte prepared she learned from
a local Chippewa/Ojibwa native,  Susan Dewey.
This is one of the pumpkins that we grew right there in the 
cabin kitchen garden!

The pumpkin  "guts,"  like the apple pomace,  will remain in the garden for
any wildlife that are interested in such a treat.
Normally this pumpkin would be cooked in a bonfire outdoors,  but the winds
were gusty and we didn't want to take any chances with an outdoor fire.
So---it shall be cooked in the hearth.

~Larissa & Charlotte~
It's nice that the Waterloo Cabin is not in the middle of a park,  like numerous
others I am aware of,  but is,  instead,  surrounded by rural Michigan.
We do get this time-travel immersed feeling and atmosphere when we are here. 

When cars and trucks drive by on the road near the cabin,  which usually is not very busy at all  (so it doesn't affect or ruin our time),  we often wonder what the people might think when they see us,  all dressed in period clothing,  doing period labor.  Maybe they think they're seeing ghosts...or witnessing the past in some cosmic manner.  When someone  "sees the past,"  it's typically called retrocognition - meaning the knowledge of a past event that couldn't be learned through normal means;  essentially,  seeing something from the past directly.

And there the pumpkin sits,  in the hearth.
I had hoped to dip candles again this year,  but that didn't work out. 
But if I did have that fire going outside,  Charlotte would have
cooked it there once again,  as she did last year.

Looks like the pumpkin is done.
I love that the ladies have acquired the knowledge to understand the
wood,  heat,  & fire from the hearth,  and can ensure the different foods
to be hot & ready for eating right around the same time! 
That takes real talent!

Charlotte prepares her cooked spiced pumpkin pudding for the table.
I've had pumpkin pie my entire life,  but the pumpkin was
always the canned mix.  It wasn't until more recently that's I've
been eating actual pumpkin pumpkin pie.  And that lead me to
enjoy other pumpkin treats,  such as the pudding that Charlotte makes. 
There is a slightly grittier  (but wonderful)  taste to it.

Through the cabin door~

Through the cabin window~

A scene right out of autumn past~
The recipes used come from cook books of long ago.
A taste of history~

The apple pie fresh from the hearth!

Norm enjoys cider straight from the barrel,  as John Adams mentioned
in his letter to his wife.  I am sure Mr.  (and Mrs.)  Adams would have
enjoyed the cider we made here.

The cider was so good...so pure...and filled with flavor.

ooooo----
I was asked to help to remove the hens from the tin oven.
The hens look amazing!
And they tasted amazing,  too!

As I mentioned earlier,  Thanksgiving in the last half of the 18th century was a time when a harvest meal meant a successful yield from the garden:  what you planted,  grew,  cared for,  then harvested,  you can now celebrate by giving thanks and enjoying the fruits of your labor.  For us our Thanksgiving meal was a true Thanksgiving meal - we were truly thankful to God for the blessings He gave us for our arduous labor throughout spring and summer and fall.

Early 1700s Thanksgiving observances,  which could occur multiple times throughout the year,  were not originally days marked strictly by plentiful food and drink as is today's custom,  but rather a solemn day set aside for prayer and fasting;  a true  “thanksgiving”  was a day of prayer and pious humiliation,  thanking God for His special Providence. 

Thanksgiving = giving thanks.

But,  as the 18th century progressed,  it gradually turned more into a festive celebration as much as it was a holy day  (or holiday). 

It's this later period we strive to emulate.

Our later 18th century Thanksgiving meals were not necessarily like our current traditional holiday fare.  Now,  that doesn't mean our ancestors did not eat turkey and other fowl,  stuffing,  rutabaga,  vegetables,  pumpkin pies,  and the like.  They most certainly did!

Well...some did - but not all.  It all depended on what was in their garden and what meat was available to hunt.  Some folks had deer/venison,  while others may have had fish or ham.  Chicken and duck was a popular meal as well.

However,  I do like turkey. 

Wild turkeys,  in particular,  were much smaller than the turkeys available in our supermarkets.  Male turkeys were about 16 pounds,  and female about 9 pounds.

Cornish hens are good as well.

Setting our harvest table~~~~cornish hens as the main dish----

The fruits & vegetables of a harvest meal would include apples,  pumpkins and other types of squash,  green beans,  root vegetables such as beets and carrots and potatoes...then there was the slaughtering of hogs:  “When  (November's)  cold hardened the earth and turned breath to frost,  it was time for the last food processing chore of the year—slaughtering the hogs.  Families rarely ate fresh pork,  but on slaughtering day,  they ate enough to last the rest of the year—they would eat the quickly perishable organs on the first day and the tails,  ears,  and feet,  the second.  And on the third and following days,  the backbones,  ribs,  and chitterlings.  Shoulders,  hams,  sides,  jowl sand sausage links went to the smokehouse.  Trimmings were made into souse  (pickled)  meat,   and were sealed in stoneware jars where it kept for several weeks.  With the rendering of the hog fat,  the last of the harvest was in.  The storerooms were full,  and winter might do its worst.” 

(from the wonderful book,  By the Seasons:  Cookery at the Homeplace-1850  by Kathryn M Fraser)

Look at that spread!
A real colonial farm-family Thanksgiving harvest cooked on the hearth:
Cornish hens,  green beans,  homemade applesauce,  mashed potatoes,  butter,  beets,  pumpkin pudding,  bread,  apple pie,  and cider to wash it all down with!

The ladies,  as usual,  outdid themselves~

The term  “harvest”  appears frequently in scripture,  as the people of the Bible lived in an agricultural society.  For Thanksgiving,  the imagery of harvest frames our own nation’s history,  inspiring us with things reflective of Early America.  Yet Thanksgiving is also a call for us to celebrate God’s provision.

Pastor Jack Hayford

We always say Grace before our meals,  and Pastor Norm Gerring always finds prayers that were said from the time period we are representing.

Colonists in 18th century America were generally considered to be quite religious,  with a large majority attending church services and religion playing a significant role in their lives and culture;  however,  the level of religious observance varied across different regions and denominations,  with the  "Great Awakening"  being a major religious revival during this period that further impacted religious fervor among colonists.

Against a prevailing view that eighteenth-century Americans had not perpetuated the first settlers'  passionate commitment to their faith,  scholars now identify a high level of religious energy in colonies after 1700.

Yet,  sadly,  it is something rarely spoken of in historical circles...especially at museums.

We all certainly did a lot of activity this day,  and all of it was a wonderful experience.  However,  my favorite portion of the day was in the late afternoon and early evening,  when the autumn sun began to wane and darkness cloaked the land,  for that's when we sat around the fire in the hearth,  a few candles lit  (more than we would have lit - if any at all - had we actually been living back then.  But it was our own holiday - our Thanksgiving Harvest - so an extra few lit candles only added to the celebratory feel).

The four of us,  enjoying the peace of the evening,  sharing our thoughts and knowledge on history.  This is such a special time and tradition.

This day,  Sunday November 3,  was the first day of standard time,  so the sun went down an hour earlier.  So,  per what has become a tradition for us,  we enjoyed twilight time and early nighttime,  with only the fire in the hearth and three candles  (plus the glimmer of the last rays of the sun)  giving us a dim light.  Now,  I know that folk in this time period would not have wasted precious candles by burning three at the same time,  but,  well,  considering this was our celebration,  we felt it would be okay to do so,  so we did!

Larissa~

The four of us sat in a semi-circle and just talked.  Larissa came up with a few  "discussion questions":

If you could actually go back in time,  what period or year would you travel to?"

If you could go back in time to a favorite fashion era,  when would that be?

If you could bring one - only one - item from our present time to the past with you,  what would you bring?

If you could bring something from the past back to the future with you,  what would it be?
And there were other questions she had,  but you get the gist.  This was great fun,  for these questions not only garnered thoughtful answers and discussions,  but actually helped us to get to know one another a little bit better and helped to keep our minds focused on the past.  I mean,  the four of us are true history people in every sense,  as well as great friends,  so the answers given allowed each of us to open up a bit about ourselves and reveal a few things maybe not known previously.

And not speak of modern anything.

Well done,  Larissa!

Charlotte~

Just because the sun went down did not mean the people went to bed;  this was their time for reading,  writing letters,  filling out a ledger,  writing in a diary,  sewing,  mending,  spinning,  and other necessities,  as well as also socializing,  singing,  storytelling,  games,  Bible recitations,  family history lore,  and other ways to pass the nighttime.

Norm~
Norm portrays Reverend Henry Muhlenberg,  a real minister who was
integral to the founding of the first Lutheran church body or denomination
 in North America,  and is considered the patriarch of the Lutheran Church
in the United States.  So,  I suppose,  we consider ourselves Lutheran in
our 18th century lives.

As the foreboding darkness cloaked the landscape,  folks retreated to their abodes to a-wait the liberating first morning light,  many fearing ghosts,  specters,  apparitions,  and even criminals and other creatures of the night.  Goblins,  imps,  fairies,  and trolls were thought to do a lot of mischief. 
It was during early American harvest time get-togethers,  when the communities would gather for such harvest time activities as corn-husking parties,  apple paring parties,  sugar and sorghum making days,  and even at thresherman dinner parties,  that ghost stories would become an integral part of these autumn celebrations.  Many American ghost stories evolved from actual superstitions and rituals practiced by those who lived in the British Isles.  These tales of the ancestral dead were told and retold by the elders to a spellbound crowd,  late at night,  after all of the activities were done,  when the moon was fully risen and the trees outside shook with the autumn wind.  That's when people gathered around a fire and told one another tales of the silenced dead lying in graves nearby.

But,  no,  no ghost stories for us---not on this night.  Just interesting conversation about history.

There I am,  in twilight time ~
We have a hand-dipped candle in a candle holder from 1757 -
an actual 18th century antique!

Pure beeswax hand-dipped candles such as what we have here can burn for hours -
much longer than the modern factory candles bought in stores today.
Absolutely no comparison~

Twilight is the time when the sun partially illuminates the sky,  making it neither completely dark nor fully lit.  But darkness reigned inside the cabin.   With an electric light not even a thought in an 18th century mind,  much less a reality in those good old colony days,  a dim visual world began where life centered around the flicker of a candle and the warming flames of a hearth.

This low level of lighting  - even with two or three candles burning and a glow from the hearth - created only pockets of brightness,  leaving most of the room in darkness.

For most,  candles were sparingly used.  This attitude was not unusual,  for it was a great luxury for many to have candles.  George Channing recalled his youth in Rhode Island where  "little children were obliged to find their way to bed in the dark."

It is actually darker than what we can see in these photos,  for the camera grabs every speck of light it can and expands it.

Myself with Norm.
The camera captured the lighting well,  for it actually was much
darker than seen here.  But...the beeswax candles burn much longer than the
store-bought modern candles.

One lesson I learned about candle comparisons:  the 12"  long tapered candles I sometimes buy at the store burn nearly three times as fast as the 6"  to 7"  beeswax candles I dip myself.  One beeswax candle almost half that size can burn for five hours or more,  while the longer modern store-bought one lasts maybe two or three hours at most.

This was confirmed by Tom Redd,  a Materials Analyst for the Foundation in Colonial Williamsburg:  “Let us imagine we have four candles,  and each one is about three-quarters of an inch in diameter and they are all about 10 inches long.  They are in a room where the air is still.  A candle well-made of the best tallow might burn two hours.  A bayberry candle might last eight,  while a beeswax candle may burn for 10 hours.  The finest candle,  imported from New England,  would have been made of spermaceti wax.  Spermaceti is taken from the head of the sperm whale.  The spermaceti candle might last 12 hours or more,  and burn with a brighter light.” 

The horse was hitched up to the carriage - it was time for us to travel back to the future,  so the  "dip"  must be extinguished.

When we are at the cabin,  we are not play-acting or doing cos-play.  We do what is known as living history.  Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools,  activities,  and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time.  Well,  we usually do not have any observers most of the time,  and we're not necessarily presenting,  except for special occasions such as Pioneer Day.   When we,  the cabin crew,  are at the cabin on our own,  such as what you've read here,  we are making the grand attempt in a very real way in living the lives of those from 250 years earlier.  We're not claiming to be perfect or historically all-knowing.  We are only attempting to live the research we learn as best as we can,  and we learn by doing.  Everyone here has their place - a dangerous statement to make in 2024,  but it's true;  we all have our jobs,  and,  aside from the women cooking on the hearth,  many of our activities change with each visit  (though our lovely ladies are always coming up with wonderful 18th century recipes for us to try).

This is our hobby.

This is our passion.

And we take great pains in making it as historically accurate as our knowledge will allow.  We are not afraid to call one another out,  should a question or need arise.  And,  no,  we are not snarky to each other - just helpful or questioning.  This is not Hollywood history,  nor do we act out  "scenes."

We are simple everyday farm laborers - a colonial pioneer family.

I am very proud of what we continue to accomplish each and every visit.

Many,  many thanks must go to Larissa,  Charlotte,  and Norm for not only participating as immersed as they do,  but in capturing as many images of the day as they did - - I snapped as many photos as I could,  but,  well,  we were all so busy that many of our activities would have been missed had it just been me taking pictures.  

And,  well,  our picture-taking is done in such a way as to be non-obtrusive,  for the most part.   

So my cocked hat is off to all three of you.

Until next time,  see you in time.

If you are interested in our other colonial cabin excursions,  please click the links below to the many posts I wrote  (25 in all---including today's),  all of which are filled with photographs.  All of these together have helped us to experience life in the 18th century like little else can.

And we ain't done yet!

Sad but true.

To read about our 2020/1770 excursion - our first autumn at the cabin  (separating wheat from the chaff & chopping down a tree with an axe...and cooking on the hearth),  click HERE

To read about our 2021/1771 wintertime excursion at the cabin  (processing flax and spinning it into linen),  click HERE

To read about our 2021/1771 springtime excursion at the cabin  (spring cleaning and planting flax),  click HERE

To read about our 2021/1771 summertime excursion at the cabin  (garden work),  click HERE

To read about our 2021/1771 summer harvesting of the flax at the cabin  (harvesting flax),  click HERE

To read about our 2021/1771 autumn excursion making candles at the cabin  (making candles),  click HERE

To read about our 2022/1772 winter excursion at the cabin  (mainly keeping warm in the bitter cold),  please click HERE

To read about our 2022/1772 spring excursion at the cabin  (gardening),  please click HERE

To read about our 2022/1772 summer excursion at the cabin  (soldiers and gardening),  please click HERE

To read about our 2022/1772 autumn excursion at the cabin  (Pioneer Day - processing flax & spinning),  please click HERE

To read about our 2023/1773 winter excursion at the cabin - (making candles and celebrating Candlemas),  please click HERE

To read about our 2023/1773 spring excursion at the cabin - (planting and celebrating Rogation Sunday),  please click HERE

To read about our 2023/1773 late spring at the cabin - (more planting),  click HERE

To read about the 2023/1773 early summer  (gardening/weeding)  at the cabin,  please click HERE

To read about the 2023/1773 mid-summer  (gardening and celebrating Lammas Day),  please click HERE

To read about the 2023/1773 autumn Pioneer Day  (processing flax and spinning),  please click HERE

To read about our 2023/1773  (Thanksgiving harvest celebration)  in early November,  please click HERE

To read about our 2024/1774 Winter experience at the cabin  (working the shaving horse),  please click HERE

To read about our 2024/1774 spring excursion at the cabin  (planting and working the shaving horse),  please click HERE

To read about our 2024/1774 late spring  (more planting with just Patty & I),  click HERE 

To read about our 2024/1774 summer  (gardening,  Lammas Day celebration,  and working on the shaving horse),  please click HERE

To read about our 2024/1774  (two separate mid-and-late-summer garden visits),  please click HERE

To read about our 2024/1774 mid-September  (kitchen-garden harvest with soldiers),  click HERE

To read about our 2024/1774 autumn Pioneer Day Celebration  (processing flax,  spinning,  & gardening),  please click HERE

~And,  each and every visit the ladies prepare food and cook on the hearth~

By the way,  I simply cannot thank those special folk at the Waterloo Farm Museum for their allowance for us to have such experiences.

We are so honored.

To learn more about the history of apples in America,  click HERE

To learn what it was like to spend a year on a colonial farm,  click HERE

HERE is a video collection to purchase of period-dress people farm in England

To read about ancient farming,  click HERE

 ~     ~     ~