Ice Cream Comes to America (Part II)
ICE CREAM COMES TO AMERICA
“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whether, but just to enjoy your ice cream while it is on your plate - that’s my philosophy.”
Thornton Wilder, ‘The Skin of Our Teeth’, 1942
As we have seen, in the Old World, the making of ice cream or sorbets depended on a supply of ice. Colonial and Federal America was no exception. Certainly ice was available during the winter but only the wealthy could afford to build and maintain icehouses. As a result ice cream in the Colonies, similarly to the Old World, was enjoyed only by the very wealthy.
Ice was gathered from frozen ponds and lakes in winter, and stored in ice houses. An ice house was an insulated underground chamber with drainage. Usually the ice blocks were deposited in the icehouses by people who crawled on all fours with the ice on their backs. This was done because to reach the deposit area, a person had to pass through narrow underground corridors to the icehouse itself. Removal was the same process in reverse. Usually layers of straw separated the blocks of ice to facilitate the removal of the ice blocks.
It is known that many of the plantations had icehouses including plantations in Colonial Virginia. Hence the plantation owners, their families, and their guests enjoyed iced drinks, frozen desserts, and yes ice cream, throughout the summer. For most of the Colonists ice was a luxury beyond their means.
Morris icehouse
There was an icehouse in eighteenth-century Williamsburg in a garden behind the Governor’s Palace. Another icehouse of note from the 18th Century is the Robert Morris icehouse built in 1781. In the year 2000 archeologists uncovered the Morris icehouse which is located in a corner of the President’s House property in Philadelphia. This 18th century ice house was reburied and lies beneath the floor of the new Liberty Bell Center.
To learn more about the structure of an icehouse and in particular the Morris icehouse, please go to: http://www.ushistory.org/presidentshouse/history/ icehouse.htm
Ice cream began to appear in the Colonies during the first half of the 18th century. The first known mention of ice cream being served is found in the Journal of William Black. The date was 1744. A group of Virginia commissioners stopped at the home of Governor Thomas Bladen in Maryland, where they were served ice cream made from milk and strawberries. William Black was one of the guests who in 1777 wrote “… after which came a Dessert no less Curious; Among the Rarities of which it was Compos’d, was some fine Ice Cream which, with the Strawberries and Milk, eat most Deliciously”.
George Washington is said to have eaten ice cream in 1782 at a party in Philadelphia, given by the French minister. It is a myth that Martha Washington invented ice cream however she did serve ice cream at Mount Vernon. We do know that in 1784 George bought a ‘cream machine for ice’ for the price of $200 (a huge amount for those times). The same year an icehouse was built on his estate.
It is also believed that the wife of Alexander Hamilton, Betsy, served ice cream to George Washington in 1789. From then on, George served ice cream at his Thursday dinners.
Jefferson’s recipe
Thomas Jefferson learned to make ice cream while he was in France as Secretary of State. Upon his return home in 1789, he brought a ‘cream machine for ice’ and a recipe. The recipe can be found in the American Treasures section of the Library of Congress.
Dolly Madison, wife of President James Madison, heard of a new dessert made in Wilmington by a freed slave (Aunt Sallie Shadd). To satisfy her curiosity Dolly went to Wilmington to try out the new dessert sensation made from frozen cream, sugar, and fruit. She enjoyed the ice cream so much that it was served at her husband’s Second Inauguration Ball in 1813.
According to existing records, in 1770 ice cream made its debut in N.Y. at a Gelateria (ice cream shop) established by Giovanni Bosio, an Italian immigrant.
Lenzi’s advertisement
In 1774 another immigrant Filippo Lenzi, made the first public advertisement for ice cream. He notified the public that he had just arrived from London and would be offering jams, jellies, pastries, sugar plums, ICE CREAM, and other delicacies.
19th Century
By the 19th Century Philadelphia was considered the ice cream capital of the USA because of the quantity of ice cream produced there, the large number ice cream ‘houses’, and the tasty ice cream called ‘Philadelphia’.
The year 1843 was a very good year for the world of ice cream lovers. On September 9, 1843 Nancy M. Johnson was given patent No. 3254 for her recently invented hand-cranked ice cream freezer! Her basic design is still used today. The invention of this machine marked a revolution in the history of ice cream. From now on anyone could make delicious ice cream at home and more importantly, it led to the first wholesale ice cream business!
The first wholesale ice cream business in the USA was opened on June 15, 1851 in Baltimore, MD, by Jacob Fussell. Jacob was a milk dealer and needed to find a way to sell his cream. The solution was to produce and sell ice cream on a large scale. He used large replicas of the Nancy M. Johnson cranks. By 1909 the Fussell factory was making 30 million gallons of ice cream annually. Today Fussell is considered the father of American ice cream industry.
July 12, 1854 may have been the day when the largest ice cream social of the Civil War occurred. The following is quoted from: http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/IceCream/Ic eCreamHistory.htm
“Was This the Largest Ice Cream Social of the Civil War? by Harold Screen, The Ice Screamer, Issue #102, May, 2004. Source material: The Baltimore Country Public Library, the Baltlimore County Historical Society and the Maryland State Archives:
On the morning of July 12th, Johnson received word that Federal reinforcements were on their way and decided to return to Virginia but on their way home they passed by Painters Mill, the Owings Mills (then Owens Mill), Maryland, location of an ice cream factory. The employees were loading ice cream on a boxcar for delivery to Baltimore when the Confederates arrived. General Johnson allowed his men to help themselves to these frozen vittles (typical activity of the Civil War - living off the land). Many of his men were from the mountains of southwest Virginia and had never seen ice cream before. Its reported that the soldiers pressed every available cup, pail and tin cup into service, some even used their hats to enjoy this unexpected treat.”
The Civil War is not the only instance where ice cream was part of the military story, ice cream is also associated with WWII. During 1941 and 1945 for every pilot rescued from the water by an escort destroyer, the rescuing ship would be given a twenty-gallon reward of ice cream! Ice cream was one of the ways that group morale was maintained.
The following is another quote from: http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/IceCream/Ic eCreamHistory.htm
“In 1945, the Navy commissioned the worlds first "floating ice cream parlour" for service in the Western Pacific. The parlor was a refrigerated concrete barge, built at a cost of over one million dollars, that was capable of producing ten gallons of ice cream every seven seconds. The barge had no engine of it's own, but was towed around by tugs and other ships. It's sole responsibility was to produce ice cream for US sailors in the Pacific region.
Sources: World War II in the Pacific, Special Ships and The United States Navy Then and Now”
Ice Cream Cones
There are many stories about who invented the first ice cream cone and where it first made its appearance. I will let the historians decide who gets the credit for inventing the cone. We do know that the edible cone made its appearance at the first world fair held in the USA. It was the Centennial Exhibition which was held in 1876 in Philadelphia, to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
While many claimed to have invented the cone, it was the immigrant Italo Marchiony (Marchioni) who obtained the patent for having invented the machine to bake the cones as we know them today. Italo applied for the patent on September 22, 1903 and on December 15, 1903 patent Number 746971 was issued to him. Marchiony started his business in Hoboken, N.J. and by 1924 ice cream cone production reached 245 million.
There is a lot more that I could write on the ice cream subject but I will finish with the story of the person who invented the Popsicle.
“ In 1905, the Popsicle was invented by an eleven-year-old Frank Epperson. Frank Epperson was only 11 years old when he invented the originally named Epsicle. He had left his fruit flavored soda outside on the porch with a stir stick in it. The drink froze to the stick and tasted good. It took 18 more years in 1923 for Epperson to apply for a patent for a "frozen ice on a stick" called the Epsicle ice pop, which his children re-named the Popsicle. In 1925, Frank Epperson sold his famous Popsicle to the Joe Lowe Company of New York. Good Humor now owns the rights to the Popsicle.”
(Read more at http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/08/th e-popsicle-was-invented-by-an-11-year-old/#od0zyPh CAYY0FVZb.99 )
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month (July 17, 2011) as National Ice Cream Day.
"But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold."
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes
Reader Comments
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I am with Ylee on the answering machine. We do not answer any of the calls we do not recognize. We have our #'s on the do not call list but it seems political calls, charity calls & or anyone you have ever done business with are exempt from the list.
Aren't you just loving this Fallish weather! The early mornings are so crispy clear and beautiful. I stood out for a while with Molly and just admired the sky. In fact I have to go find her, shes still out there somewhere probably digging holes. That is one of her bad habits.
Ylee, when things break down in our house they stay in limbo for a very long time, that's what's happened with our ID caller identifier. Often I do let the phone ring and allow the answering machine pick up the call but there are times when answering the phone is the timely thing to do.
Sandi, we do have laws here about unwanted calls but certain kind of calls do not seem to fall in the category on unsolicited calls. Politics here seem to be a right of the politicians!
I wanted to leave a message for your green photo but it is group only and for some reason the site doesn't recognize me as being part of the group. Anyways, I like the photo. You make art photography from the most mundane items!
Mass, thank you for your notes and graphics, including the greetings for Kat. Sorry that you are still having problems and that hubby becomes 'needy'. Bless you for your unselfish help to your mate and family.
I hope that your weather as as beautiful as ours. So far this fall it has been really nice. Yesterday hubby came home with three large pots of mums, now it really feels like Autumn.
I hope you get to enjoy your day.
Hi Bug. Isn't it funny how we fall in love with cute babies? Hopefully there will be another pregnancy by momma! Unfortunately it costs a fortune to get momma pregnant and a lot of human effort.
Happy Wednesday to you.
I have left you a comment about my green shot on your green shot!! Lol
Hope you are feeling better these days now that it has cooled down some and are getting a good night's rest. My visit to the doc the other day was interesting and he put me on a new diabetic drug. Thing is, the drug is contraindicated for folks who have had pancreatic problems. Will wait to hear from him if there is a drug that I can take with it that will ease the side effects it poses. Don't want my stomach acting up like before. Don't need the pain.
Anyway have a great day, enjoy the sunshine. BIG HUGS
Currently, we're experiencing a gloriously sunny, cool autumn morning before our weather takes a downward turn the next few days.
The view outside my computer room is lovely with neighboring trees now showing increasing tinges of color. The only drawback is looking at all the fallen acorns strewn in our front and back yard. At night, they sound like bowling balls on our roof while rolling down and off to the ground. LOL! Naturally, it also brings thoughts of all those sticky, large fallen oak leaves needing to be raked, mulched and bagged for pick up. At least, on better days, it's nice to be outside amongst the fresh air and colorful scenery, but my ole bones aren't as up to the overwhelming task of fall yard work as they once were. Such is life! LOL!
Hubby's continuing to do reasonably well and remains pacing himself as he increases his physical activity indoors and out. At this moment, his favorite activity is napping on the lounge in our small Florida room. Most of the window slats are closed, so the sun's beams are providing much enjoyable free warm solar power in the room and bones! LOL! Unfortunately, it won't be long before winter's cold arrives and we'll be again forced to hibernate inside the house while swaddled in layers of flannel clothing. Ugh, perish the thought! LOL!
Oh, I wanted to tell you that, while traveling to and from Derry, NH, either Sat. or Sun. afternoon of each week, I pass by the ole Robert Frost home/farm (on Rt 28) each time. Thankfully, it's still attracting enough of a tourist trade to keep it open and reasonably maintained. It closes down for the season this Sat., Oct. 6th, until it opens again next May. At least, my weekly drive has begun to offer some increasingly colorful and lovely fall scenes for us to enjoy.
Hope you're doing well and able to partake of much deserved decent weather and scenes in your neck of the woods!
I think your planned tomorrow is a very selfless act.... It shows what a wonderful person you are.
Hope it goes as well as it can. I will mail you tomorrow :-)
God be with your friend and you tomorrow!
Hi Sandi, yes, the visit went well and my chatter made the time pass fast, so it seemed. I wonder if we are confusing anyone with our 'green shot' talk! LOL!
Hi Ylee, hubby says, if you want the cordless handset, go get it!
Thank you for your kind words. My friend is very religious and her faith is helping her at this time.
Hi Mass, for some reason the acorn yield isn't very big this year. There are hardly any acorns on the ground! I wonder what it all means as related to our winter. We will have the fallen leaves however, I will call a service to do the raking/bagging/disposing. We just have too many trees to handle it ourselves.
Don't think about the winter cold until you absolutely have to deal with it! I do remember some really nasty cold winters from the time we lived in MA! Hopefully you and I will have a mild winter this year.
How exciting that you drive by Robert Frost's house! Is it open for tourists? Have you been in the house? I do not go too far from the house right now due to a problem, hopefully our neighborhood will show the Fall colors at its best.
Thank you for stopping by, it is always nice to see you.
Alley, how are you feeling? Is the new medication helping you? How about your new diet, are you enjoying it? I saw some of your new recipes on FB and they do look tasty. Besides, you will dress them up with your favorite spices to suit your taste buds! I have a feeling that you are a fabulous cook. Please let me know how you are feeling, thank you.
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND EVERYONE!
Our new kitten has settled in and gets along just great with everyone. He is a lively little guy! We take him for car rides to get him used to traveling.
Have a great week-end, we are getting rain according to our forecast.
I hope you have recovered from all your chattering yesterday.... funnily enough I do the same, talk far to much if I am worried or nervous!
I love your yellow shot! - (Now folk are even more confused! lol)
Sandi, isn't it fun to keep people guessing? Yes, I am pretty much recovered from the chattering but as you know chattering can metamorphose into book writing! More confusion for our guessing folks! By the way can metamorphose be considered a verb? Where is Shore when I need her!
Janet, I had no idea that you have a new kitten or maybe I just do not remember (lots of senior moments). What a smart idea to take him for rides. Did I mention that a week ago today we went to a Cat adoption event but came home empty handed? The ones my husband liked were huge and four years old, our dog would not get along with them and vice versa. The kitten that I semi liked did not speak at all to my husband. So our quest continues.
I am so glad that your chemo was successful and that the ordeal was not too bad. That's what I said to my friend, that chances are that she will have minor side effects. She is so positive and matter of fact about the situation and very trusting in her Lord, and all of this will help her. I am not going to call today but I will email her husband, I do not want to intrude on what might be a challenging day.
Again, so glad that you won the battle!
I am going to start a little genealogy project (I think) and will be on and off the blogs, not gone but 'absent' now and then.
I am not a bad cook so I have been told. I have not heard of anyone dying from it but have had alot complaints that people have gained a few lbs from overeating....ROFLMBO With next weekend being the Canadian Thanksgiving, there will be a few treats to sample but I will not overdo it this year. I will just stuff a little turkey breast and do some root veggies to go with it. Going to cut back on the sweets as well, maybe make a sweet potato and pumpkin pie. I will pick up some extra pumpkin to make a couple of pumpkin loaves I can freeze as well as make some zucchini bread to freeze too.
Hope all goes well for your friend. Chemo can be a rough regiume sometimes and you take each day as they come.
If I were you I would hold off getting a kitty at the moment with KoKo reaching her final years, I think it would be hard for her to adjust to a new face in the house. I would wait until she passes before bringing a new pet in the house. Call it an age thing but I know from experience, when a pet has been the only one around for so many years, it will take its toll on her. Look at it this way, then you can give an older cat a good home when the time is right.
Have a blessed day dear one. Take care of yourself too.
My goodness, I thought I was a walking pharmacy! I'll give you the special honor! If the pills keep you feeling good and healthy, so be it. Please do keep the sugars under control, you will live a better life. My hubby also has diabetes and in my opinion, he indulges too much with the sweets. I try to keep the amount of cookies etc. in the house to a minimum, so he goes out and buys them! Yes, he brings them home to 'share'! I have to really work at not being tempted by sweets, but often if not always win the battle. Except for Talenti! Who was the person who turned me on Talenti? It is all your fault!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. I am sure that you know that there are lots of healthy versions of pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, etc. I like making and eating these fruit/veggies breads but most often I decrease the amount of fats and sugar. I do not know what I am going to do this year about Thanksgiving, I may order a turkey already prepared from Wagemans. I'll prepare the pies and the side dishes. I just do not have the energy to keep up my usual holiday dinners.
Take care, enjoy life as best you can. Big hugs for my Alley.
Lucky you [she said sarcastically], to be in a "battleground state". I am amazed that, so far, I have not received any political robo-calls. Two years ago, we were bombarded with them. Even though Washington is a firmly "blue" state, we have a couple of potentially controversial ballet measures that I expected to generate lots of telephone and mailbox junk. First, there is the legalize-tax-and-regulate-marijuana initiative. Second, is legalize-same-sex-marriage. The second has generated exactly 2 over-sized postcards in the mailbox. I (almost) feel slighted.
I agree with Alley that you should maybe hold off getting a cat or kitten just yet. Poor Koko would be jealous and/or stressed. Interactions between cats and dogs are impossible to predict. Sometimes they can become best friends, other times they just hate each other.
I hope you are enjoying the cooler weather.
My Blue is getting old but the thought of introducing a new kitten into the house is not something I would do, as he is so used to being on his own... And has been for over 10 years since his brother died at two and a half from a heart attack!
Have a happy Sunday :-)
Took my blood sugar reading before I had a couple of toast with coffee and am pleased to see it is down l.5 points. I hope this continues and I see it back in my usual range of 6-7. All I can do is take each day, one at a time and watch what I eat. Since I cooked chicken yesterday, today will be lots of protein and low carb day.
Have a great day dear one. Enjoy your cuddle with Koko...
Take care!
October: tenth month of the year,
Comes the winds, first frosts appear.
Takes the warmth from pure blue skies,
Opal mists, sun rays disguise,
Beguiles our hearts with morning's mild
Evenings come with weather wild,
Relinquishing our summer
Pros - Wishing you a very happy, healthy and safe month.
PS - got your mail, will reply once I have done my ist of the month duties:)
White rabbits, Pros!
Ylee, just a new post on my other blog and maybe I'll post it here too. It is just a quick commentary and a few photos.
Alley, I hope that you continue to feel better and better. It is amazing what the right diet and medications can do for a body. Now, if only I could take my own advice! But I love sweets!
We had a lovely day yesterday, I have no idea what is in store for us today. It is still dark and I have not turned on the news. I hope your day is a very good one indeed.
Briar,Sandi, and Alley, you are absolutely right, of course. No new pets as long as Koko is with us. Thank you for your advice, I know that my WU friends are great helpers when needed.
Briar, I am now getting horribly abusive political emails from 'friends' who are trying to get me to vote for their candidate. I finally made it clear that I do not appreciate the emails/forwards, and that I am a big girl with a mind of my own.
I used to giggle, probably sententiously, when little old ladies got upset and 'spoke up'. Well, I am now that crusty, independent, no nonsense old lady!
HAPPY OCTOBER EVERYONE!
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