Hearth Cooking And Blacksmithing

At The Curtiss House

The kitchen fireplace in the Newtown Historical Society’s 18th Century Matthew Curtiss House-Museum will be the site of much activity Sunday, October 21, from 1 to 4 pm, as costumed docents prepare an authentic colonial open hearth meal. Additionally, blacksmith Joe Magnarella will set up his portable forge and demonstrate his avocation in the back yard. The Matthew Curtiss House is at 44 Main Street, Newtown.

In colonial times, most dwellings were constructed with a massive masonry fireplace, usually four to five feet high, for the purpose of wood-fire cooking as well as for warmth. A good wife provided her family with a great variety of delicacies cooked there including stews or “spoon meat,” roasted game, crusty breads, biscuits, and even desserts.

Onlookers on Sunday will be encouraged to ask questions of the docents as they prepare a typical early American meal. Each recipe will be created from scratch. The Curtiss House is well equipped with authentic early kitchen tools, and their uses will be explained and demonstrated.

Mr Magnarella started as a tool collector in the mid-1960s, and gradually moved beyond collecting to concentrate on the blacksmith trade about eight years ago, working from the Century Museum and Collectors Association’s permanent forge at the Rhinebeck (N.Y.) Dutchess County Fairgrounds. In order to take his show on the road, Mr Magnarella developed a traveling forge so he might give demonstrations to a wider audience.

Costumed guides will be available to escort guests through the Matthew Curtiss House, sharing stories about daily life in early Newtown and information about the 18th Century house-museum.

This event is open to the public and is free of charge. Call the Newtown Historical Society at 426-5937 for more information.