Colonial History, Kitchens, and Books

As a complement to the Replitiques site, we'd like to provide some background history and reference material on colonial America. Our topics include:

The economic significance of pine in colonial society.

Colonial Kitchens: What was really cooking?

Woodworking in the colonies

Recommendations on good source books for Colonial information and some great "reads" for kids

A "bibliography" of other sites with colonial history

Shaker Shelves

Sled

Spoon Boxes

Spoon Racks

Stools

Tea Tray

A few books in particular might interest you. The first is Home Life in Colonial Days, by Alice Earle. W. D. Grissom, one of Amazon.com's top reviewers, has this to say about the book: "This hundred-year-old work retains its vitality and usefulness.In her wonderfully readable narrative, Earle conveys life in the colonies with vividness missing from most conventional texts. Starting with basic shelter, which were sometimes actually caves in the earliest days, she goes on to describe in detail the critical element of food supply, with careful explanations of culinary practices and useful drawings to illustrate the often-obscure utensils. (This latter feature will fascinate antique buffs.)

Colonial Homebuilding

We are always looking for books that offer good source material on Colonial homes, art, cooking, or lifestyle. Homebuilding and Woodworking in Colonial America offers a wealth of detail on how colonial settlers built their homes. It includes pictures of the tools they used. The Amazon.com customer review says, "You will not be able to put this book down! The incredible richness of the information and the quality of both the pen and ink drawings and the narative are outstanding."

We've also enjoyed Williamsburg: Decorating with Style. For the antique lover who enjoys history and wants to see what what interiors in Williamsburg looked like, it's a "must". It's now out-of-print, but you may still be able to find it used. It's filled with photographs of newly-restored interiors. Also of interest is Williamsburg: Before and After. It's been featured in the catalog that the Williamsburg foundation publishes, and shows the photographic history of the restoration of this historic treasure. We have other books on Colonial history in our book store.

Pine: Its Importance

The early coasts of the American colonies were densely-wooded with pine and other trees. The colonists traded timber to other countries for products which could not be produced locally. For example, Cuba and Haiti supplied rum and sugar in exchange for timber. The presence of so much forest land meant the growth of a vigorous shipbuilding industry as well, and by 1721 Massachusetts was launching between 140 and 160 ships annually.

In addition to shipbuilding, pine was used in floors, ceilings, panels, shelves, and many other parts of the home. White pine in particular was valued for its lack of odor and taste, making it an ideal wood to create small kitchen utensils. This wood is light and durable, and over time can last almost as well as oak. Russell Hawks Kettell, in his book "The Pine Furniture of Early New England", describes how white pine ages. First he explains that its color "turns the most astonishing shades under the action of time and light. Unpainted wainscot that has stood for two centuries in a north room with reduced light will often be a startling red-orange, while that exposed to the ...sun softens in texture but remains nearly as light as it was on the day it was installed. This film of age...is called the patina."

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Colonial Kitchens: spoon rack

Early colonial homes were simple places. The kitchen was frequently the only room with a heat source--the fireplace--and it was the center of many home activities. Wooden ware--bowls, trenchers, tankards, and spoons--were an important part of the home's supplies. Pewter and other metals, like silver, were valuable and rarely found in more humble dwellings, and when Americans migrated westward, wooden ware traveled with them more frequently than heavier metal items.

The colonial housewife began her day early, often at 4:00am. She brought in wood, built up the fire, milked the cow and gathered eggs, and worked until sunset. The main meal of the day was dinner, usually served around 2:00pm.Recipes were simple but filling. (Visit Diane's kitchen page for a complementary Replitiques recipe.) A light supper, frequently leftovers from dinner, was served later in the day. Most cooking was done in large fireplaces, with an open fire used for heating pots of boiling water, and coals banked for broiling. The first use of a sort of kitchen "crane", designed to help hoist heavy pots over the fire, came into use at about the time of the Revolutionary War. Its use helped to "save the face" of the "fair housewife", wrote Wallace Nutting, in "Furniture of the Pilgrim Century." Colonial life wasn't easy, and life in the kitchen was as dangerous as anywhere else, with 25% of women killed by cooking accidents as long dresses or aprons caught fire (this information from Dale Taylor's book "The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in America" (It's no longer in print, but you CAN read still purchase The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800's if you're looking for info on the Civil War, life on the range, and much more.)

For many years salt was the only means of seasoning food, and virtually all Colonial kitchens had a salt box. Homeowners kept saltboxes near the fireplace, conveniently close to where the cooking was done and also to help keep the salt dry. Because the salt exuded moisture, original salt boxes frequently exhibit a "salt stain" on their interior. Colonists obtained salt from seawater, if they lived close to the coast, or mined it from rock salt deposits inland. Salt was one of Colonial America's earliest manufactured products.

Of course, cooking was an important of home life in colonial America, as it is today, and a variety of carved wooden ware, including knife boxes and spoon racks helped the cook keep the kitchen organized. In Kitchen Antiques Mary Norwalk writes:"Pieces of cutlery were precious possessions and in order to keep them clean and dry they were stored near the fire. Spoons, and sometimes knives and carving forks were placed in a spoon rack attached to the wall. Sometimes there was a small drawer underneath the rack, and this was used for spices and seasoning, or precious pieces of small equipment." Householders made most wooden items themselves, and because the average home didn't have pictures on the wall, wall boxes also served as decoration in these early plain homes.

The earliest knife boxes resemble salt boxes, only they're deeper. Candles were originally kept in clothes chests, because tallow was thought to help repel moths, but by the 18th century they were kept in simple chests with sliding wooden lids. Candle boxes often sat on tables or were hung from walls in order to keep vermin from eating the tallow candles. Candlemaking was just another one of the many tasks the homemaker was responsible for, and it required a lot of patience. In the earliest days, she would have a series of wicks cut and prepared, and would dip each in turn into tallow, and then let them dry, and then dip again. Later candle molds of tin or pewter helped make the task less tedious.

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Woodworking in Colonial America

In early Colonial times, furniture generally had to be imported or made by hand. Before the onset of the Industrial Age, craftsmen (either at home or in smallshops) would carve or cut the items needed in kitchens. Carl Bridenbaugh, writing in "The Colonial Craftsman" tells us that furniture making was one of the largest urban industries in the Colonies. "Even at the opening of the 18th century, the colonists imported no more than 40% of their furniture."

Three of the most essential trades in early America, according to Dale Taylor, were blacksmith, shoemaker, and cooper - the man who made barrels and other wooden containers. A "white cooper" was a person who used white pine to make pantry tools, boxes, and other kitchen products. Of course, the woodworking trades encompassed a range of skilled workers. The joiner made wooden products that were joined, while turners turned wood on lathes. Cabinet makers made finer products, often using dovetail joints, inlay and veneers, etc. Had Ron lived in colonial times, his work would have encompassed both joinery (like the work done on the stools, pegboards, and shelves) and cabinetmaking (like his spice and kitchen cabinets, clock, and boxes). Even nails were handmade until approximately 1795. Nailers (the men who made nails) had their own guild, and a good nailer could make several hundred nails a day. (taken from "Furniture of the Pilgrim Century" by Wallace Nutting).

The Art of Fine Tools by Sandor Nagyszalanczy will provide a beautifully photographed look at some of the fine tools used by Colonial artisans. Not only was the word produced by those craftsmen stunning, but the tools they built and used were works of art as well.

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Books on Colonial History and Collectibles:

There are a lot of books available on Colonial history, of course. We've chosen to list ones that concentrate on "everyday life" in early America, along with some useful reference books for those of you who also collect original Colonial kitchen and household items, plus a few books to introduce your kids to this exciting part of our history. To order, simply click on any title and Amazon will take care of handling your order. You can also visit our Bookstore for other selections, or take a look at our Shaker page for a listing of books about the Shakers.

History and Reference

· book Everyday Life in Early America by David Hawke. This has wonderful information and insights into the basic facts of life in colonial America.

· First Generations: Women in Colonial America by Carol Berkin. The story of a slave who eventually gains her freedom in the late 17th century.

· Liberty's Daughters by Mary Beth Norton.

· Good Wives by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.

· Women's Life and Work in the Southern Colonies by Julia Cherry Spruill. This book, which was originally published in 1938,has just been reprinted.

· The Reshaping of Everyday Life, 1790-1840 by Jack Larkin.

Books on Colonial Furniture and Household Items

· The Pine Furniture of Early New England by Russell Hawes Kettell. This book, which contains 284 illustrations, has a lot of information about the way in which early settlers lived, the characteristics of the pine which they used for furniture-building, and much more. It's a great resource for people interested in how people lived during Colonial times.

· The Essential Book of Shaker by David Larkin. Several of Ron's designs, including the clock are influenced by Shaker works. Larkin's book will give you background on this sect's design principles.

· 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles by Linda Campbell Franklin is another good source book for info on kitchen antiques.

· Tony Lydgate's book, The Art of Elegant Wood Kitchenware focuses more on the sorts of products Replitiques produces.

Books For Kids

We've listed a few books that are related to Colonial History that you may find interesting below. But we know that's now all you want to read, so we've provided some links to Amazon.com, where you can find other good selections. For example, if you've enjoyed the Harry Potter books and want to read more fantasy adventures, try clicking on After Harry Potter for a list of fun "reads". Now for our Colonial selections:

· The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter. This is a fictional story on audio cassette ideal for children between the ages of 10 and 13, and it's set not far from Replitiques! Take it along when you go driving on vacation this summer. You can also purchase the story in paperback if you prefer.

· book Johnny Tremaine by Esther Forbes. I first read this book in 5th grade, and it was an exciting introduction to colonial history through the eyes of a young apprentice silversmith. After being injured in an accident, Johnny must give up his apprenticeship. He finds new challenges as he becomes part of the group of colonists fighting for freedom. A great read for kids ... and a newly illustrated edition! Recommended by Tracey.

Beaded Moccasins: The Story of Mary Campbell. It was interesting to find this book, which tells the story of 12-year old Mary Campbell, who was kidnapped by Delaware Indians in Pennsylvania in 1759. That's because we have an ancestor, Frances Slocum Tripp, who underwent virtually the same experience! We think you'll find the six-year saga of Mary's life with the Delaware Indians to be a fascinating one.

The Arrow Over the Door by Joseph Bruchac. Set in 1777 just before the Battle of Saratoga, this tale, which is based on another real-life historical episode, tells about a Quaker boy named Samuel and his encounter with an Abenaki Indian named Stands Straight.

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Bibliography:

Here are some other sites we've found with good information about colonial America:

An atlas of Colonial Battlefield sites.
Michigan State University has an extensive list of historical resources.
Information about African-American soldiers.
The role of paper money in the colonies is covered in essays linked to the colonial currency site.
Learn about each of the original 13 colonies.
For copies of original colonial land surveys, visit the PA land records site.
Rare maps of Revolutionary America from the University of Georgia.
Read George Washington's farewell address on-line.
A good introduction to Quaker history is offered here.

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