By Heather Green, Visitor Services and Programs Manager at Rose Hill Mansion & Johnston House
The kitchen at Rose Hill Mansion is where we tell the story of the Rose family and their enslaved people. The kitchen is set up with the same type of equipment the enslaved cook would use to prepare meals, with a few tools from later years to connect the story of the house through to the Strongs and Swans.
With more than 200 years separating them from us, we immediately notice some changes between the 19th century kitchen and a 21st century one. At the same time, we might miss the subtle differences, what with technological differences obviously apparent.
Stepping back in time for a moment, the oldest houses across the northern hemisphere were one room structures with a firepit in the center, used for both warmth and cooking. Gradually, as homes became larger, wealthy homeowners began to show off their status by separating the kitchen from the social spaces.
Truncating several centuries of history into a generality, the kitchens in upper class houses moved further and further away from parlors, bedrooms, and dining rooms. First to a separate room, then a separate wing, and occasionally to a separate building.
There were many reasons to move the kitchen. Heat was one. Smells were another (anyone who has ever burned a dinner knows how long cooking odors linger!). Threat of fire was also a concern, though not quite as prevalent as the other considerations.
Cooking was usually seen as an undesirable chore, one that should be kept separate from the enjoyment of the food. Even in middle-class houses, kitchens were in the basement or in the back of a house: anywhere the heat and odors could be kept at bay.
The idea of keeping kitchen workers out of sight was also entangled with the idea of hiding kitchen smells and heat. Set in its own separate wing, the kitchen at Rose Hill certainly follows this trend. Built in 1809, the separate kitchen was ostensible to keep the heat and odors away from the rest of the house, but also it was to keep the enslaved people out of view from the rest of the household.
When William and Sarah Strong bought the property, they moved the Rose house to build the mansion. The kitchen retained its position as a separate wing, only connected to the mansion by a servant’s hallway. This design kept heat, odors, and servants away from the areas in which the family socialized or relaxed.
The idea of the kitchen being a separate sphere from the rest of the household continued through the time the Swans lived there. In fact, it continued for another century. Kitchens were relegated to the basement or back of the house until the early 20th century. The Great Depression is often given credit for houses becoming smaller and more economical. There is also Frank Lloyd Wright, with his one-story, open floor plans. Wherever it started, kitchens eventually became the gathering place for the family. Many mid to late 20th-century houses were built with the kitchen open to the living room/family space. There was a return to the ideal of a central hearth around which food, warmth, and socializing are shared.
The 1809 kitchen, different from today’s kitchen in tools and technology, but also in status. In our tours, we show how the different families lived. It doesn’t always get highlighted how similarly the Roses, Strongs, and Swans viewed the kitchen work and workers (whether enslaved or paid).
We also do not get to talk about the Johnston House kitchen very often, so next month, we’ll look at some of the differences in the Johnston House kitchen and tools they used.
At Home with the Swans: Breakfast Room
At Home with the Swans: Parlors
At Home with the Swans: Necessary Room
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