12/31/2023
"First warm a pint of cream, then add to it five quarts of milk that is warm from the cow...”
Follow the steps above and you’ll be well on your way to making an 18th century“ Cheesecake After The Best Manner” from a recipe found in Abigail Goodwin’s well-used 1772 cookbook The Frugal Housewife by Susannah Carter.
The cookbook, a small but powerful tangible link to our past, sparks contemplation. What was life like when picking up milk for a recipe meant a trip to the cow, not the store? What did it feel like to cook over an open hearth in the expansive Pownalborough Court House, wearing long skirts, when Maine was a wilderness and the war for Independence was looming? Reading the cookbook inevitably raises profound questions that foster a richer understanding of our past.
Abigail’s copy of the book is too fragile and precious to handle, so in 2023 we decided to make it more accessible by producing a facsimile copy before presenting the original cookbook to the Maine State Library to be held in climate controlled protective storage. Now visitors to the court house can thumb through a replica of Abigail’s cookbook and imagine using it at the hearth, and Education Director Louise Miller will be able to use the book to help students better envision day-to-day experiences of the 1700s. We also have copies available for sale so that anyone who wants to can share Abigail’s experience of reading and creating these recipes.
Projects like this that help illuminate the places and stories of our past are only possible because of the generous support of people like you. With your help, we aim to continue making history accessible and together we can accomplish more preservation projects that connect our communities to the stories and places of our local heritage.
You can help us continue our preservation and education work. We are a small organization, and every gift truly matters!
To donate by credit card, please visit our website: https://www.lincolncountyhistory.org/get-involved/donate/
To donate by check, please send your contribution to LCHA at PO Box 61, Wiscasset, ME 04578. Your support will make a real difference! Thank you so much!
