Source:
HISTORY of JEROME TOWNSHIP, UNION COUNTY,
OHIO
Curry, W. L. : Columbus, Ohio: Press of the E. T.
Miller Co.
1913
THE LOG CABIN & THE OLD FIREPLACE.
This Chapter
is particularly for the boys and girls of today to
give them a glimpse of the manner of living, and
hardships which their grandfathers and grandmothers
endured in the early days and well remembered by the
older residents who survive. Sixty years ago,
as some of the now oldest generation of the township
can remember, there were but few houses either of
brick or frame in this section of the country.
In fact many of the dwelling houses were erected of
round logs not even hewn, but in time the better
class of dwellings were made of hewed logs nicely
matched and the openings between the logs "daubed"
with mud mixed with lime, whitewashed, and presented
a very neat appearance. When a citizen had his
logs cut, hewed, and hauled to the location of
erection the neighbors were invited to the "raising"
and they came with axes and al necessary tools on
the day set. there was great strife among the
ax-men to see who could "take up a corner" the
neatest and most rapid and it was very dangerous
work for an inexperienced boy, but they were al
anxious to try their hands, usually under the eyes
of their fathers. There was also great rivalry
in running the logs up to the workmen on skids by
using long forked poles, and frequently one end of
the log would be rushed so fast that the other end
would fall and the workmen were sometimes injured by
the falling timber . The house or stable,
whichever it might be, was usually raised in one day
and the ridgepole put on ready for the roof.
The roof of clapboards, split usually from oak
timber, was kept in place by long weight-poles
instead of by nails.
It is well known to the older citizens, but may not be
to many of the younger generation, the only way of
heating the cabins or of cooking was by the old
fireplace, about six feet wide, and many of the
chimneys were made of sticks plastered with clay
mortar on the inside, Cooking outfits were not
very elaborate and usually consisted of an oven or
two for baking corn pone, a skillet, an iron tea
kettle, coffee pot and one or two small iron kettles
and same number of large iron kettles for boiling
hominy, making soap, and for washing clothes.
The dishes were of the old blue pattern decorated
with birds, animals and flowers, which are now
considered the proper style and are quite rare.
Before these old fireplaces and on the iron cranes
that swung the kettles the good old mothers of the
pioneer days would prepare chicken and squirrel
potpies with accompanying side dishes fit for
baking. How many men who live in luxury today
log for the corn pone, and pies and "pound cakes"
that mother made. The first improvement in
cooking before the day of stoves, was the tin
reflector. It was about two and a half feet
wide with open front and one foot deep with a
shed-like top running out toward the fire at an
angle of 45 degrees, which reflected the heat from
the fireplace to bread or cakes arranged on a tin or
sheet-iron shelf raised six inches from the hearth
on small iron legs, so that coals were placed under
to heat below while the reflector heated above.
The advent of the reflector was considered a great
advance in the convenience of cooking and baking and
was used in the majority of families until cook
stoves were introduced in the vicinity about sixty
years ago.
Nearly every cabin had a loom with spinning wheels for
both wool and flax, and the linsey, Jeans and linen
cloth was woven by the women in each household, cut
out and made into garments for both men and women
boys and girls by the good mothers and daughters.
The loose wamus for men and boys was usually worn,
and flannel dresses dyed by the same mother, using
oak and walnut bark, and in these homespun dresses
the girls were content, happy and pretty.
The furniture was both scanty and plain. Solid
wood chairs or benches with a split-bottom rocker
for mother, a plain table used for all purposes, and
a "dough chest' for meal, flour and cooking
utensils. Then beds with thick and wide
feather ticks of sufficient height to require a step
ladder, with a "trundle bed" under for the children,
a bookcase, clock with wooden wheels, was about the
usual outfit of the average family. No, do not
forget the trusty rifle, bullet pouch and powder
horn which always hung over the door. |
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