Thanksgiving

by: Garet Livermore, Vice President for Education

THANKSGIVING DAY.--When shall it be? The last Thursday in November falls on the 29th. We petition each and all the State governors to appoint that day for our national rejoicing. Then all the land will be glad together, and union among the people would be a sure pledge of heart-thankfulness to God, who has given to us, as a nation, such wonderful prosperity, such universal blessings.  -- Sarah J. Hale, Editor, Godey’s Lady’s Book, October 1855.

Fall thanksgiving celebrations have been a part the American experience since colonial days. The celebration at Plymouth Plantation by the Pilgrims in 1621 is only the most famous example. Celebrating at harvest time with a feast and games was a common practice in all of the colonies, including New York and Virginia. Each location marked the successful harvest with its own traditional foods and activities. It was not until a public relations campaign spearheaded by Sarah J. Hale, the editor of Godey’s Ladies Book, in the middle of the 19th century that the holiday became a national event. The date was first fixed as the final Thursday in November by the proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 and later adjusted to the fourth Thursday in November in a law signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941. Apparently, Roosevelt felt that in the country would benefit from the extra week of Christmas shopping in those years when November has five Thursdays.

The Turkey as National Dish
The centerpiece of most Thanksgiving meals, the turkey, has an interesting history of its own. Although many people know the story of Ben Franklin’s proposal to make the bird our national symbol, fewer know why it is the almost universal choice for our Thanksgiving meals. When early settlers came to Massachusetts, they were pleased to find fish and game in abundance. They were particularly fond of the bird they called the “Turkey Fowl” because of the belief that it was related to the guinea fowl then being imported to Europe from the Middle East.

Initially, the birds were so numerous that they were a reliable food source for early settlers. Edward Winslow, a Pilgrim leader, described hunting the birds for the first Thanksgiving meal: “Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week.” With this kind of unsustainable hunting the birds quickly became scarce, and wild turkeys almost disappeared from New England in the 18th century.

Farmers developed domesticated breeds of turkey to raise for meat and eggs. Although never as popular as chickens or even geese for family meals and holidays, the turkey benefitted from its traditional connection with Thanksgiving and became a specialty animal for farmers to raise and bring to market in the fall. Most of these breeds had strong regional connections, like the Narragansett in the Northeast and the Bourbon Red in Kentucky. The Farmers’ Museum raises a small flock of Narragansett turkeys here in Cooperstown as it was the most common breed of turkey in our region.

Driving Turkeys to Market
Just like today, the demand for turkeys was highly seasonal in the 19th century. Farmers who raised the birds had to drive them to market for the profitable holiday season. “Driving” turkeys in the 19th century consisted of getting the whole flock to walk, sometimes more than a hundred miles, to market under their own power. The flock was led by a wagon filled with grain that a boy sprinkled in front of the group and it was followed by men with long “switches” or sticks that could be used to poke and prod reluctant turkeys along the way. The process had several challenges, including birds’ instinct to roost in trees, on roofs and in the rafters of covered bridges that they encountered. “Turkey trots” were often held up for days while the drovers climbed in trees and on buildings, poking at the birds to get them down on the ground and walking to market again.
Thanksgiving at The Farmers’ Museum
The Farmers' Museum will reopen its doors on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving to offer visitors a glimpse of how Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1845. Visitors will get a chance to see a turkey drive and help the Farmers move our turkeys to market across the museum grounds. You will see our staff prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal at Lippitt farmhouse and watch the blacksmith forge trivets and fireplace tools. At the Middlefield Printing Shop you can print a traditional Thanksgiving recipe to take home for your own use. Come join the fun and explore the museum!

Happy Thanksgiving!

By: Kajsa Sabatke, Interpretive Projects Coordinator

Happy Thanksgiving! The staff at The Farmers’ Museum will be celebrating with our families and friends and then heading back to work for two days as the museum opens for Thanksgiving at The Farmers’ Museum. What foods are important at your Thanksgiving celebrations? I asked some of my coworkers what other dishes, in addition to turkey, are essential to their families’ Thanksgiving meals. Not surprisingly, many of them responded with pies: apple, apricot, chocolate, and pumpkin pies all made the list. Stuffing made the list several times, although every family has its own “right” recipe. Some staff mentioned food made by their mother or another relative. Erin’s Thanksgiving includes Under the Sea salad made by her grandmother. Cranberry salad, cranberry relish, applesauce and yams, oyster stew and sweet potatoes with marshmallows are also favorites. I can personally attest to the delicious addition of marshmallows to sweet potatoes or squash as someone who was banned from marshmallow duty after my zealous quantity of marshmallows overflowed the squash and covered the oven racks. My marshmallow incident, which happened when I was about 11, is a story my family still loves to tell – or at least tease me about – every year. Another favorite Thanksgiving tale comes from the first time I hosted dinner, in an apartment near some railroad tracks. The rumbling of the trains helped the oven unplug itself sometime between the turkey going in and about 30 minute later when I realized that the turkey wasn’t cooking. Luckily, the problem was easily remedied after we pulled the oven away from the wall and plugged it back in. Do you have any favorite Thanksgiving stories, dishes, or recipes? Please share them! And stop by to visit us on Friday and Saturday.

Thanksgiving at the Museum

By: Kajsa Sabatke, Interpretive Projects Coordinator Over the River and Through the Woods…recognize these words? They come from a poem, “A New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day,” published in 1845 by Lydia Maria Childs. Thanksgiving was the biggest holiday celebration for families in the 1840s (even bigger than Christmas!). The actual date of the holiday moved around from year to year until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November to be the national Thanksgiving celebration. Nineteenth-century New Yorkers celebrated Thanksgiving with feasting, religious services, and a break from their usual routines. This Thanksgiving weekend, I also had a break from my usual routine: I helped prepare dinner in the More House. I’d never done much other than watch museum staff cooking on the open hearth and baking in the fire-heated oven. Luckily, I was working under the guidance of Pat, an experienced and patient staff member. Our day was consumed with all the preparation, cooking, and cleanup. We roasted turkey, cooked vegetables, and baked holiday treats. I made dough for jam tarts, which we filled with jam made from the grapes that grow next to Bump Tavern. Cleaning out the ashes from the oven was the hottest part of my day. I had a wonderful time helping with the meal and talking to the visitors watching us cook. The best part of the day, though, came after all the food was ready and we could enjoy a sampling of our work!