LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - SEPTEMBER 15, 2019 by Lynne Belluscio This is the third article in a series that will give folks an armchair tour of LeRoy House. The first article was about the Land Office and the second article was about the two par- lors. This article will be about the upstairs kitchen. In some ways, LeRoy House is not a pe- riod house. That is, it is not fur- nished or interpreted all to one period. Rather it is a collage of a hundred years of history that was witnessed by the people who lived in LeRoy House. The house began as a land office, and to be truthful, we have no idea what it looked like or if any of the present structure contains parts of the early land office building, but the two kitchens are obvious remnants of previ- ous occupants. On the main floor is the 1930s kitchen. Originally in the 1830s when the LeRoy family lived in the house, it was the dining room. There still is a door to the basement that would have allowed the servants to bring food up from the open hearth kitchen. The fireplace is hidden behind the Hoosier cabinet. At one time, when the house was used as a boarding house for teachers at the Aca- demic Institute, this room was a sitting room. When Allen Ol- msted bought the property – the house and the school behind, from the Union Free School, he wasn’t too sure what to do with the house. The school build- ing he planned to turn into a factory for his patent medicine business, Footease. He wanted to turn the house over to a his- torical society, but there wasn’t any, so he proposed to let the school system use the house for the superintendent. It is at that time this room became a kitch- en. Edward Spry and his family, were the last people to live in the house. In 1940, the LeRoy Historical Society was formed and the house was turned over to their care. This kitchen was used to prepare tea and refresh- ments for their meetings. When I came here in 1988, there was an electric stove with a brass plaque, saying it was a donation of Marion Russell. There was an old working refrigerator – circa 1950 and a complete set for 100 people of white china, (identical to the set at the Pres- byterian Church). The room eventually became my office, complete with file cabinets and a roll-top desk. In 2000, we moved the offices to the Aca- demic Building, and the room became a kitchen, but this time, it became a kitchen that reflect- ed the last tenants, the Sprys. Out went the “modern” stove and refrigerator, and in came a 1920s electric stove and refrig- erator. The original linoleum tile floor and enamel sink and cupboards were kept in place. An “interpretive plan” was cre- ated. Now there is an opportu- nity to show how the modern kitchen evolved. Historically, people rarely ate in the same room as where the food was prepared. The kitchen, with a fireplace or hot wood stove, was a work room. The dining room was used for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with rare exception. But in the 1920s, kitchens began to change. With the convenience of electric appliances and run- ning water the kitchen was considered a place for breakfast and lunch in many households. The idea of a “breakfast nook” became popular. Kitchen fur- niture and breakfast sets were sold in furniture stores. Women decorated their kitchens with gaily colored curtains and table- cloths. “Everyday” china was used. And so, the Spry kitch- en reflects the changes in the “modern” kitchen in contrast with the 1830s LeRoy kitchen in the basement. The Historical Society has acquired some interesting ob- jects for the kitchen. Green handled potato mashers, apple peelers, cookie cutters, spatu- las, forks, slotted spoons, flour sifters, can openers are on dis- play in the drawers. An electric percolator – all the rage at the time is on the shelf beneath a can of “vacuum packed” coffee and Postum – a coffee substi- tute manufactured by the Post Company (which acquired the Jell-O Company). A collection of electric toasters is on display, including one in a very modern round design, that was manu- factured in nearby Buffalo. A really fascinating electrical ap- pliance that I bought at an an- tique store, is one that allowed you to cook your entire meal at the table. It has a waffle iron, toaster, egg poacher, and a warming tray all built in. In the 1930s most women canned tomatoes and peaches, so on the Hoosier are some ma- son jars filled with peaches and a basket of tomatoes ready for canning. On top of the stove is an electric fan and on the ironing board is an electric steam iron. When the steam iron was intro- duced, it had a couple of holes in the plate, but newer models had more holes and eventually, one manufacturer produced a steam iron with over 70 holes. In the trade, it was called the “holey war.” The table is set with a col- lection of “faux food.” It is always a challenge to find inex- pensive fake food for the table. My recent purchase was sliced roast beef. The iced lemonade glasses are actually candles. I just pulled out the wicks. That is also true for the large molded orange Jell-O in the refrigerator. On the table are two hot pads from the Chicago World’s Fair. Of course, lime Jell-O is being served for dessert, be- cause lime was introduced in 1930. A couple of other objects from the 1930s that represent popular culture at the time: on the chair is a reproduction Shir- ley Temple doll and in the cup- board is a Shirley Temple blue glass creamer. On the table is a radio tuned to the station that would broadcast the Jack Ben- ny show on Sunday nights spon- sored by Jell-O. The 1930s kitchen is one of the most popular stops on the house tour. I suspect it is because it is the most nostal- gic. Most people can identi- fy something in the room that they can relate to. Next we’ll visit the 1830s kitchen in the basement. LeRoy House Tour – The 1930 Kitchen