Rousing sesquicentennial recipes, part 1 of 5
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Today marks the start of a five-part series on Emporia recipes from the past 150 years.
Brenda Lavington and Linda Keller of the Lyon County Historical Society Archives came up with this wonderful idea, and Reebles and Price Chopper graciously agreed to sponsor their efforts.
Today’s recipes come from the earliest settlers of our community, 1857 to 1900. Other groups will include 1900 to 1929, 1930 to 1949, 1950 to 1969 and 1980 through today. I hope you will join us each Wednesday as we conclude celebrations of Emporia’s Sesquicentennial year with a journey through our culinary heritage.
This was a period when women cooked over fires on cast iron stoves. Ice had to be harvested in the winter and kept in straw in “cooling rooms” as far into the summer as possible. When it came to things to cook, it was “carpe diem” or “seize the day.” Whatever was ripe now had to be used now or preserved — now! Fortunately the railroad could bring special items from back east or up north, and the abundance of game and fertile lands in this region provided a variety of foodstuffs with which our earliest Emporia women could meet their families’ needs.
We’ll start with recipes from before 1900, all of which were found in the Gilson scrapbooks. Our first recipe is from Mrs. J.T. Arnett. Not much is known about this group of Arnetts, except that a member of the family (J. Douglass) may have benefited from the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893. Perhaps Mrs. Arnett’s son was Claude Arnett, who wrote a treatise on the American School Board, which would mean her grandson was Claude Jr., an Emporian who died in World War II and whose name is inscribed on the Mount Oread monument in Lawrence. But who knows? If you do, the ladies at the Lyon County Historical Society Archives want to talk to you!
MRS. J. T. ARNETT’S BEEF BOUILLON
Get 5 pounds of good juicy beef. Add to this 5 quarts of cold water. Put all in a closely covered kettle and set on the back of the stove, soon after breakfast, and let it simmer slowly all day. At night set the kettle in a cool place, and in the morning carefully remove every particle of grease. Return the kettle to the back of the stove, adding half a dozen cloves, salt and red pepper to taste, and any other desired flavoring. At noon it will be ready to serve, after straining. The soup should always be cooked by a slow fire, as violent boiling retains the juices in the meat.
Major Calvin Hood was a Civil War Veteran who made his money in cattle and built a grand house on the northwest corner of State and 8th in 1882. He also dabbled in politics with Preston Plumb and had a leading role in the First National Bank with W.T. Soden. One of his sons was Harry Hood (H.P) who carried on the family presence after his father’s death in 1910. Harry’s wife must have been very popular in the hot Kansas summer with this recipe.
MRS. H.P. HOOD’S LEMON ICE
Two lemons, 2 oranges, 3 pints of water, 3 cups of sugar, whites of 2 eggs. Mix the juice of the lemons and oranges with the water, and add two cups of the sugar, strain this into the freezer and freeze. When it gets to a freezing point (that is when it is all thickened up) have ready the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth, stir the third cup of sugar into this, and beat into the half frozen lemonade and freeze. Turn the freezer as long as you can, (this makes it finer grained) then pack closely until ready for use.
Mary Dixon married C.V. Eskridge in 1861. While we don’t have much information on her, she must have had her hands full judging by her husband’s successes. C.V. owned and edited the Emporia Republican newspaper, was instrumental in changing the name of our county from Breckinridge to Lyon, served as lieutenant governor in 1868, helped bring the State Normal School to Emporia, and fought to “extend the right of franchise to the colored race” in Kansas.
The Eskridge’s home at 28 E. 12th Ave. became Eskridge Hall, and was used by the Kansas State Normal School music department for many years.
MRS. C.V. ESKRIDGE’S CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE
Cook beef 2 hours, then add cabbage and cook 1-1/2 hours longer. When done, put meat in center of dish, with cabbage around it. Serve with tomato catsup or horseradish.
According to William G. Cutler’s “History of the State of Kansas” Dr. T.F. Davenport was a dentist who came to Emporia in May of 1870. He had served four years in the Seventy-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was captured at Gainesville, Fla., in 1864. He was released at the end of the war, and married Hannah E. Allen in 1865. They had two children: Mary Adella and Allen.
MRS. T.F. DAVENPORT’S PUMPKIN PIE
Stew thoroughly the pumpkin and rub through a colander. To one quart of prepared pumpkin add one cup of scalded milk, a little salt, sugar to taste (1 cup full or more), 4 well beaten eggs, tablespoon each of ginger and cinnamon, 1 teaspoon each of allspice and cloves. Bake in deep pie tins. Sufficient for 2 pies.
Ella Cole was born in Montpelier, Vt., in 1854 and married Emporian Howard Dunlap in Boston, Mass., in 1874. Mr. Dunlap had established the Emporia Savings Bank in 1869, which later became the Emporia National Bank on the southwest corner of 5th and Commercial. Ella met Howard when she came to Emporia in 1872 to ease her tuberculosis. She graduated from Kansas State Normal in 1874 as an honor student.
Ella was a very active woman despite her chronic illness. She campaigned for women’s suffrage and was a friend of Susan B. Anthony and Dr. Anna Howard Shaw. An avid community supporter, she served on the board of trustees of the First Congregational Church for 30 years and of the City Library for 20 years. Ella served as vice president of the YWCA from its inception in 1920 and helped furnish the Plumb home for its conversion to a YWCA. ESU’s Dunlap Hall is named for Mr. & Mrs. Dunlap for their long-term support of the College of Emporia.
MRS. HOWARD DUNLAP’S PRESSED CHICKEN
Cook chicken very tender, remove the meat from the liquor and cut moderately fine. Let the liquor cook down until you have 3/4 cup to each chicken, then season lightly with salt, pepper, and celery salt and add 1 teaspoon of gelatine. Then return the meat to liquor and put in pans to mold.
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