For social entertaining, elaborate dinner tables were the center of attention. The Blennerhassett House Foodway Tour will be held on June 1st at 1pm on Blennerhassett Island and will include a program about early 19th century food and the role of food in the daily life of the Blennerhassett family. (Photo provided)
All meal preparation and cooking at the Blennerhassett mansion took place over the fireplace in the summer kitchen. The Blennerhassett Estate Culinary Tour will be held on Blennerhassett Island on June 1 at 1 p.m. (Photo provided)
Blennerhassett volunteer educators Dick and Martha Hartley will be conducting a special Blennerhassett Estate Foodways event on Blennerhassett Island on June 1 at 1 p.m. The couple have written two earlier books about West Virginia, “The Frontier Table” and “Serving Up History,” which cover the foods served during the Blennerhassett family’s time on the island. They also give tours and talks about island holidays and food traditions. (Courtesy photo)
For social entertaining, elaborate dinner tables were the center of attention. The Blennerhassett House Foodway Tour will be held on June 1st at 1pm on Blennerhassett Island and will include a program about early 19th century food and the role of food in the daily life of the Blennerhassett family. (Photo provided)
PARKERSBURG — A program focused on food and its role in the daily lives of the Blennerhassett family will be held in early June.
A special Blennerhassett Mansion Foodways Tour will be held on Saturday, June 1st at 1:00 p.m.
This educational, information-packed tour will be led by Blennerhassett volunteer educators, food historians and authors Martha and Dick Hartley, who have written two books about early food culture in West Virginia, “The Frontier Table” and “Serving Up History.”
People are invited to learn about food in the early 1800s, as Blennerhassett Island was the social entertainment center of the Mid-Ohio Valley at the time.
“A stroll through the mansion reveals the food of this era and how the success of social entertainment at the Blennerhassett mansion depended on food, whether it was dinner in the formal dining room, tea in the parlor, or snacks in the restaurant.” “It’s a night of music and dancing,” the Hartleys said in a press release.
All food preparation and cooking at Blennerhassett House took place around the hearth in the summer kitchen. The Blennerhassett Mansion Foodway Tour will be held on Blennerhassett Island on June 1st from 1pm. (Photo provided)
In the Blennerhassett Dining Room, visitors can see a properly set table and learn about proper table etiquette.
“Each participant will be provided with some of the historic recipes for dishes that would have appeared on the Blennerhassett dinner table, with a modern interpretation to try at home,” Martha Hartley said, “as well as detailed documentation of four foodways that were important to the Blennerhassett family – things that guests will see on the tour but that the family rarely uses today.”
The food conversation continues in the Summer Kitchen as visitors explore the seasons, cooking techniques and food preservation.
“You know that Mrs. Blennerhassett was an excellent cook and gave fine cooking classes to the ladies in the neighborhood,” Dick Hartley said.
This one-hour event costs $5 per adult, plus boat transportation to the island.
Blennerhassett volunteer educators Dick and Martha Hartley will be conducting a special Blennerhassett Estate Foodways event on Blennerhassett Island on June 1 at 1 p.m. The couple have written two earlier books about West Virginia, “The Frontier Table” and “Serving Up History,” which cover the foods served during the Blennerhassett family’s time on the island. They also give tours and talks about island holidays and food traditions. (Courtesy photo)
“This special Munson tour and program provides the public with an opportunity to learn more about various aspects of the Blennerhassett family,” said Park Director Craig Pyles. “This is another good reason to visit the park.”
For more information, call 304-420-4800.
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