By Heather Green, Visitor Services and Programs Manager at Rose Hill Mansion & Johnston House
This month we are combining the “At Home” series with a game of “What is it?”
Last month, the “At Home” series focused on the Rose Hill kitchen. This month we are skipping across the road to Johnston House.
John and Margaret Johnston arrived in this area in the 1820s (they immigrated separately – read about Margaret’s tumultuous journey here). At Johnston House we tell the story of their arrival, their lives, and Johnston’s revolutionary introduction of drain tiles to the Finger Lakes region.
The kitchen is set up with 1820s-1830s period furniture. In it, you will see a variety of items not always associated with a kitchen but would have been in the Johnstons’ home.
The Johnston family ran a tavern in their kitchen for a few years when they first arrived. It provided extra income until the farm was at its peak. The tables are set with tavern games to represent that time. There is a cradle next to the worktable, which we use to tell the story of Margaret working in the kitchen while taking care of her daughters.
And, of course, we have many cooking tools on display. While there are items we still use, such as a Dutch oven and a tea kettle, there are also several objects we don’t use in our kitchens today.
The following are some of the items that spark the most questions.
Under the worktable is a dough box. This one is for making large quantities of dough. The lid sits over the dough while it is rising.
This is an early toaster. The bread sits at the end, facing the fire. The arm swivels to toast the bread evenly. Conveniently, a person could stand back and use a stick to turn it without getting too close to the fire.
This style of brass trivet was more often used in a parlour than a kitchen. It was used for keeping teapots warm.
A foot warmer. This style was popular in the late-18th and early 19th centuries, especially for keeping warm in carriages and churches.
This rack and hooks were used to broil roast small pieces of meat or fish. It is difficult to find others that look exactly like this one, though similar ones are seen often.
Sometimes called a tin kitchen, this is a roasting oven with a spit. The meat roasts better than on an open spit because the heat is deflected by back to the meat.
We hope you visit these and many other items in person at Johnston House. Come see us on our open house days: September 12 and October 10, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. If you can’t make it at those times, Johnston House is open by appointment.
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