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This week’s artifact of the week is our 18th century toaster! You read that right; this intimidating object – at first glance similar to a rake or a weapon – was used as a kitchen tool. More specifically, this toaster is from the Revolutionary War era and is made from hand-forged wrought iron. In order to achieve an even toasting, most Colonial toasters included a rotating hinge that allowed the bottom piece to swivel 360°; however, our model is a bit rarer. You see, this one can only flip back and forth, which causes more strain on the handle and hinge. Many devices similar to this one would break or bend, so few stand against the tests of time. Interestingly, this type of toaster was actually an improvement upon a previous design referred to as a gridiron. A type of early broiler, the gridiron would be laid down horizontally at the base of a fire and result in a rather uneven, charred piece of toast. While toast was a convenient and economical source of nutrition for families and soldiers alike, toasters were seen as a luxury item. This is because devices such as this one simply improved the comfort of the cook as they could set the toaster at the edge of the hearth and shift it as needed. Without one, the cook would need to hold a pan near the hot fire for extended periods of time. This artifact also brings into discussion the techniques people used to preserve food before our modern technology. Without preservatives, fresh bread spoils within days. However, toasted bread kept in cool and dry areas can remain edible for weeks. This artifact, as well as a charcoal-burning sadiron, was used in an educational program with a local school. Students learned about these artifacts, engaged in a Q&A, and had an opportunity to handle the objects. Attending community events such as our recent Strawberry Social and the upcoming Fall Festival helps the RHS make these programs special! Information for this post was sourced from the following:
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This week, our artifact of interest is this portrait of an important historical figure in West Springfield: James Newton Bagg (1824 - 1905). He is depicted at age 20, which dates the piece to approximately 1844. James Newton Bagg’s legacy in West Springfield is unmatched. He was an active member of the community who documented his life in a detailed set of diaries for over fifty years. These entries now serve as an invaluable glimpse into what life was like over 175 years ago. He narrated events and experiences – big and small – that the people of West Springfield would have seen long ago. In fact, an entry from January 1, 1847 describes visiting Aaron Day’s house to buy supplies; this signifies an interpersonal connection and the Days’ long lasting prominence in our community. James Newton Bagg was also a historian – he was the primary author of Account of the Centennial Celebration of the Town of West Springfield from 1874. Additionally, Bagg’s legacy lives on within the work of his grandson, Donald Brooks Bagg: Through the Years: West Springfield 1774-1974. This oil portrait was donated to the Ramapogue Historical Society by Donald and by another one of Newton Bagg’s grandchildren, Marion Loomis Aschenbach. This artifact is compelling not only because of who it portrays, but also because of the artist behind it. William Smith Elwell (1810 - 1881) was a renowned portrait painter native to the Springfield area. While a master of many mediums, oil portraits were his greatest passion — and greatest talent. In addition to working with the people and landscapes of this area, he also sat with none other than Dolly Madison, a First Lady of the United States, in 1848. His portrait of her now lies in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian! Dolly Madison was not the only connection Elwell has to prominent figure’s in our nation’s history. Elwell was the apprentice of one of America’s greatest portrait artists: Chester Harding. Therefore, he learned from his instructor’s portraits of James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, John Marshall, Henry Clay, and many more. Information for this post was gathered using the following sources:
This week, our featured artifact is a mismatched pair of children’s shoes. While they seem rather ordinary at first glance, these relics are actually symbolic of an ancient superstitious practice: “concealed shoes.” People have been finding shoes in walls, chimneys, floors, and doorways across different regions of Europe since the end of the Middle Ages. The practice of concealed shoes made its way into North America via settlers from the East Anglia region of England, where this practice was exceedingly popular. Ancient folklore tales claimed that evil spirits, demons, and witches can be warded off using hidden items of clothing. You see, it was commonly believed that witches were attracted by the scent of a human; therefore, these shoes would lure them into the walls of a house rather than into the bedrooms or sitting rooms. Besides witches, some specific entities that could also be trapped or driven off by concealed shoes include: the Scottish brownie (brùnaidh), a mischievous elf, and the Slavic domovoy (Домовой), which could protect against evil – or produce it. These two shoes were found in the Josiah Day House’s back wall – while Aaron Day Jr. was constructing the wooden addition in approximately 1810. The shoes’ style is reminiscent of a modern-day Oxford, with a low heel, flat toe box, and short laces. They have hardened leather footbeds, leather laces, and wooden soles. Only one of the shoes includes a cream-colored cotton lining, although the other one’s may have been lost to time. Interestingly, one shoe is roughly two inches longer than the other, leading us to believe that they belonged to different children. Perhaps this was to bolster the Day family’s protections against apparitions. Aside from their ability to entrap spirits, these shoes were also thought to be harbingers of good luck and fortune. There is a connection between shoes and fertility across multiple European cultures! Some examples include the nursery rhyme “There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” and the shoe-throwing superstitions of England and the modern-day Czech Republic. The majority of concealed shoes belonged to children, yet the reason behind this remains somewhat unknown. Some archaeologists propose that their belief in a child’s good luck actually stemmed from the ancient city of Carthage. Morbidly, babies were placed in the foundations of Carthaginian buildings in hopes of future prosperity; concealed shoes could have possibly spawned as the replacement for this practice. While concealing shoes met a sharp decline during the 20th century, other good luck charms remain relevant today: horseshoes, barn stars, ladybugs, four-leaf clovers, bamboo. What do you do for good luck? Information for this blog article was taken from: Manning, M. Chris (2012), Homemade Magic: Concealed Deposits in Architectural Contexts in the Eastern United States (Masters thesis), Ball State University https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concealed_shoes This week’s artifact of interest at the Josiah Day House is our charcoal-burning ‘sad iron’ manufactured around 1882. This piece, made from cast iron and wood, is engraved with the maker’s mark “W. D. Cummings, N. Taliaferro, & E. Bless, Patented 1882.” The name ‘sad iron’ is a derivative of the Old English word for ‘solid.’ Weighing just over 7 pounds, this artifact is true to its name! The mass of this late-19th century piece enabled it to maintain high temperatures for long periods and assisted in further pressing the clothes. The distinctive shape of this charcoal-burning iron is due to its chimney. The upwards channel was invented to divert the thick, smelly, smoke away from the delicate fabrics beneath. Additionally, the back of this iron is adorned with a detailed portrait of a bearded man; online sources have varying identifications of this man - ranging from Jesus to Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. This face is actually on a hinge and is able to be moved to the side; the opening this created served as the way for coals to be inserted and removed. While this iron design was patented in the 1880s, paintings from 12th century China depict women using a charcoal-filled pan to press clothing! Such pieces are the earliest documented evidence of using what we now know as a sad iron. In Europe, ironing with forged metal began during the late Middle Ages. Charcoal-burning sad irons rose in popularity in the United States during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This new design spread quickly due to the issues associated with traditional sad irons, which were heated by being placed near a fire or stove. These irons did not maintain high temperatures for very long, so users had to reheat them several times to finish ironing their clothing. Charcoal-burning sad irons were eventually phased out in favor of the electric steam iron, which first began appearing in American homes in the 1920s. This artifact was used this week as part of a program in collaboration with a local school! During their field trip, students learned about artifacts’ histories and uses, had a Q&A session, and had a chance to examine them. The Ramapogue Historical Society greatly values engaging with members of our community and showcasing what local history has to offer! Events such as school programs and our upcoming Strawberry Social enable us to organize and contribute to community events and educational programs. Information was gathered from the following sources: http://www.oldandinteresting.com/antique-irons-smoothers-mangles.aspx https://www.ebay.com/itm/362844090443 https://www.etsy.com/listing/731614004/antique-sad-iron-cast-iron-wd-cummings-n https://chidorivintage.com/products/antique-c1900-japanese-sad-iron-jk418 One of the many treasures of the Josiah Day House is our Model 1816 Harpers Ferry .69 caliber musket that is dated to 1822. James Clayton, a past member of the Ramapogue Historical Society, restored and researched the firearms that had been rusted over for years. He used the knowledge he had amassed from a career as a tool designer at Bausch Machine Tool – and his interest in local history – to mend the firearms and determine their origins. His research into the Model 1816 musket is summarized below: This model was originally a flintlock, which used a flint strike to ignite the powder charge. During its heyday, over 700,000 of these muskets were manufactured by Springfield Armory, Harpers Ferry, and miscellaneous independent contractors. However, many of these models were converted to a percussion cap, which ignited when a hammer struck a brass or copper cap containing explosive powder. This method was more not as sensitive to weather as the flintlock, so it quickly rose in popularity. While the percussion cap method of ignition was invented in the early 1820s, the musket at the Josiah Day House was not converted until just prior to the Civil War. Besides representing a shift in engineering, this musket is also intriguing because of its place of manufacturing: Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry is well-known as being the second national armory – established about 10 years after our own Springfield Armory. However, it was also the site of abolitionist John Brown’s infamous 1859 raid. Brown, who resided in Springfield from 1847 to 1851, led his raid in an attempt to arm enslaved people and ignite a revolt. However, only a few enslaved joined his revolt and many men – including him – were captured. Brown was tried and hanged for treason, yet his story sparked inspiration among abolitionists and remains infamous today. While this firearm was manufactured long before the events of 1859, it nonetheless demonstrates how the artifacts in the Josiah Day House can be used to tell the stories of our nation’s past. One piece of our collection alone gives us a glimpse into the history of firearm engineering and the Civil War era. Stay tuned for more posts like these!
A sincere thank you to those members who have already donated to the Day House Repair Fund. Consequently, we were able to complete a much-needed repair to the house in November 2021. Colonial Restorations of Fiskdale, MA installed sixteen custom ¼ inch steel angle brackets to reinforce the joinery in the ell section of the house.
There are many more repairs that need to be done to the house. The Board of Directors is looking at all options for financing these projects including grant requests and fundraising activities. If you would like to make a contribution to help with the repairs, please send a check made payable to the Ramapogue Historical Society and mail to the address below. Please make a notation in the memo section of your check that your donation is for Day House repairs. The Ramapogue Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable corporation. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Mail to: Ramapogue Historical Society c/o Eric Rosenholm, Treasurer 378 Ely Avenue West Springfield, MA 01089-2218 |
Ramapogue historical societyThe Ramapogue Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable corporation. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Archives
July 2024
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