Welcome to the Mount Holyoke College Class of 1965

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Forty-two of our classmates Zoomed in to watch this mini, for which Caroline Fuller Sloat, drew on her deep experience working at Old Sturbridge Village to talk about the role of women in nineteenth century New England.  

As it was offered just prior to Thanksgiving, Caroline began her presentation by reminding us that turkeys were in plenty in fall, thus it was a time of feasting. Lydia Maria Child’s Over the River and Through the Wood and Mrs. E.A. Howland’s The New England Economical Housekeeper were guides to preparing food for such celebrations.

Caroline, herself, edited The Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook. Authentic Early American Recipes, a collection of recipes from our American past, which she published in 1980 with a second edition in 1992, and is still available online.

Of course, these books were about more than cooking. They were teaching guides for women who took on the role of household managers, while men were responsible for farming, town government, and the professions, which included keeping the country stores. Mrs. Child also authored The American Frugal Housewife, dedicated to those who are not ashamed of economy. She was effectively redesigning women’s role, as not only responsible for the family’s wellbeing, including food preparation and caring for gardens, poultry, and the dairy, all important sources of food and potentially household income.

Caroline also spoke in some detail about the challenge of bringing an 1830 country store in Vermont, to Sturbridge Village. How that was done, drawer by drawer was a wonder!

Child, Howland, and Sarah Joseph Hale advocated an end of slavery. They were also leaders in advancing historic preservation for which they raised money and founded charitable societies. These women did not have the vote, but they certainly wielded substantial influence in improving female education. 

For example, Emma Willard published Geography for Beginners in 1830, and we have our own Mary Lyon who founded Mount Holyoke College in 1837.

Caroline’s talk was beautifully illustrated with Sturbridge Village scenes, both of the landscape and inside homes and the country store. She had pictures and illustrations of tin ovens, hearth fires, and other tools for preparing food:

(Review submitted by Sunny Eaton.)

Here’s a favorite recipe used in colonial Thanksgiving celebrations: 

MARLBOROUGH PUDDING

Ingredients for filling: 

• 6 Tb butter
• juice and peel of one lemon
• ¾ cup of stewed pureed apples or unsweetened applesauce
• ¾ cup sherry (optional: use 1 cup apple if omitting) *
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 tsp grated nutmeg 

Single pie crust (preferably puff pastry) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line a deep 8” pie plate with crust

Melt butter and set aside to cool. Combine lemon juice and peel, apples, sherry (if using), cream and sugar and mix well. Blend melted butter into mixture. Beat eggs and add; Stir in nutmeg.

Pour mixture into the prepared pie plate.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean. Cool. Serve. 

*Note from Caroline:While I didn't put sherry into the version in the old OSV cookbook, it seems to have crept into the recipe currently being given out. I suggest using 1 cup of apples instead!