Mabel Hartzell House Tour - Kitchen and Pantry
Kitchen
You enter the Mabel Hartzell Historic Home through the kitchen. Included in this room is one of the seven Italian marble fireplaces in the house. They were the primary source of heat for many years.
Portraits of Matthew and Mary Earley are hung over the fireplace and a picture of the Earley Farm from about 1900 is on the South wall.
Items in the kitchen include:
- Plunger Churn - Many families made their own butter. The buttermilk was used as a beverage and for cooking.
- Copper Kettles - These were used to make applebutter. A copper kettle was required when making applebutter because of the acid in the apples.
- Dough Boxes - These date from as far back as the 1840s. The bread dough was made in these boxes and placed in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. It could hold enough for a week's supply of bread.
- Coal Stove - This stove was donated by Esther Riesen Ringler and James Riesen.
Pantry
The pantry is located off of the kitchen and was used for the storage and preparation of food. Some items in the pantry include:
- Hutch Table - This type of table has a lid that lifts up to reveal storage space. Tables like this were used in small homes to conserve space because it doubled as a chair when the top was positioned vertically.
- Corn Shucker - This device simplified the husking of corn.
- Butter Bowl and Paddle - These were used to work all the buttermilk out of the freshly churned butter. If the buttermilk was not worked out, the butter would spoil.
- Medicine Bottles - The Ray E. Ault Drug Store was at State and Union Streets in the Mount Union Square.
- Hat Stretcher - Used to help hats hold their proper shape.
- Hand Fluter or Fluting Machine - This was used in the 1880s to press ruffles.
- Bee Smoker - This was used to drive bees from the hive so that the honey could be removed. The smoke tended to daze the bees and make them less aggressive.
Other items include canning jars, irons, butter mold, cornpopper, and washboard.
Next we enter the Sitting Room.
