Frederick MD working hearths ... Museums by Candlelight

On Saturday, December 9, there will be 26 sites open for free with music, activities, and crafts in Frederick and the County. Several homes have squirrel tail ovens (in small section in photo) and other interesting features. Always fun. If you are nearby, go visit.

Museums by Candlelight has been held annually for over thirty years. Ten to fifteen years ago there were, remarkably, six working hearths with cooking demos; now there may be two. Through the years I've taken visiting and local hearth cook friends, regular friends and family to the museums. So you will enjoy the day. For more information and map of participating museums and sites for the 2023 Museums by Candlelight click HERE. Frederick County, Maryland is celebrating it's 275th anniversary this year.

This is also my tribute to some Maryland hearth cooks who are no longer with us.

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum 1758. 1110 Rosemont Ave.
Built in 1758, this gem still contains many original German features including a squirrel tail oven, an original in situ five plate jamb stove (extremely rare), stone window sink, three hearths, barrel roof basement,and much more. First and second photos. HERE; HABS HERE

Mary-Ann Bevard (1941-2021) cooked at the marvelous Schifferstadt for years and in her 200 yr old stone house on their working farm in Detour, Md. Twice a year (Harvest Festival in Oct, Cookie Bake for Dec.) she went to Landis Valley Farm Museum, Lancaster, PA to cook with a group of hearth cooks. Article: "Hearth Cooking: An old-time cooking technique." The Frederick News-Post. Aug 9, 2006 HERE, obit HERE

Schifferstadt's basement hearth with candlemaking. Photo 2007

Rose Hill Manor 1792. 1611 N. Market St.
In 1792 Gov. Thomas Johnson (1732-1819) built the house for his daughter, then spent his later years there with her family. Kitchen wing is on left with squirrel tail oven at the end. Many outbuildings remain including a large ice house. HERE; HABS HERE.

Shirley Swaim (1936-2017) was a volunteer for many years at Rose Hill Manor – as hearth cook, museum store manager and a member of the Rose Hill Museum Council. obit HERE

Rose Hill Manor Children's Museum. Scattered throughout the wonderful mansion full of antiques are many old games, large old doll house and much more to entice children.

Hessian Barracks. 1781. 242 S. Market Street. Closed
Two L shaped Frederick Barracks were erected in 1781 to house German mercenary prisoners during the Revolutionary War. The hearth is clearly not original, but was working. The old buildings were closed 2010? and still not open, but can be seen on the outside on Maryland School for the Deaf campus, which used the barracks when the school was started in 1868 and one of the barracks was demolished in 1871 for new classrooms. HABS HERE

Sally Waltz (1943-2014) of Waltz Farm, Chewsville/Smithsburg, MD (east of Hagerstown). After the barracks closed Sally did hearth cooking at Middletown Historical Society (see below). She took a class at Landis Valley Farm Museum by Tom Martin in the 1990s. Washington Post article, Nov 15, 2011, mid 1800s outbuilding of their working farm (been in the Waltz family for generations). "Thanksgiving in Maryland happens in — and around — the hearth." HERE. Second article "Traditions of Thanksgivings past." Hog butchering, sauerkraut and turkey. Frederick News Post Nov 22, 2007, updated Mar 11, 2016.HERE

Roger Brooke Taney House. Private
It was owned from 1815 to 1823 by the longest serving Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (but he didn't live there). In the long outbuilding are two hearths, an interesting squirrel tail oven and unusual smoke room. Twenty years ago a small group was preserving the house (I forget their name). At some point it was taken over by the Historical Society, now called Heritage Frederick. Recently it was sold and is a private home. HABS HERE

Generally there was a demonstration in the back hearth. An article about Neal Brower demo HERE

Steiner House. 1807. 368 W. Patrick St.
The old home and outkitchen is owned and maintained by the Frederick Woman's Civic Club as their headquarters. One year there was a real fire on the hearth. HERE

Frances A. (Delaplaine) Randall (1924-2018). Her family owned the Frederick newspaper and some years ago, she wrote an article about participating in a hearth cooking class I taught at Rose Hill. Although she was willing to do anything that day, it was still a surprise to see her doing a demo in her club's outbuilding during the next Museums by Candlelight. The Frederick News-Post. Obit HERE, more HERE

Middletown Valley Historical Society. Old Stone House and outkitchen. c1840. 305 W. Main St., Middletown.
Info and photo HERE.
Sally Waltz (1943-2014) hearth cooked in the outbuilding (after the Hessian Barracks closed) and the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum.

Star-Spangled Banner Flag House. late 1700s. 844 E. Pratt St., Baltimore.
Mary Pickersgill owned the house and made flags, the most famous was the extra large one that flew over Fort McHenry during the British bombardment in 1814, and inspired the Star Spangled Banner. HABS HERE

Mary Sue Pagan Latini (1924-2017) At the Hearth: Early American Recipes 1997, 2002.
After retiring from the Naval Academy in 1984, Sue voluntered at the 1840 House then the Flag House, learning to hearth cook at various museums including Landis. For many years we drove up from Maryland to cook the two weekends with hearth cooks- Harvest Days (Sue and I were at the upper outside oven) and Cookie Bake (all in the tavern baking cookies, pretzels). Obit HERE

Landis Valley Museum. Lancaster PA
A collection of buildings representing Pennsylvania Germans from 1740 through 1940. The tavern.

Tom Martin (1950-2016) The Landis Valley Cookbook 1999, 2009.
Tom was born and raised in Lancaster County where his Great Grandfather Jonas Martin was a Mennonite Bishop and his mother cooked traditional dishes. For over thirty years, Tom was in charge of the foodways department at the Landis Valley Farm Museum. Past blog posts on Tom HERE; short bio and the cookbook HERE

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©2023 Patricia Bixler Reber
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