18th century Christmas
Exeter Township historic site host A Homestead Holiday on Saturday.
Courtney Stevens held a small pot in her hands, gazing at the thick substance inside.
The Wyomissing woman began to rattle off the ingredients of the hard sauce, which once it warmed up and softened a bit would be spread atop a traditional plum pudding. There was sugar and brandy and, of course, butter.
“Sarah Boone loved her butter,” Kristin Durbec, standing beside Stevens, chimed in.
The two women wore similar 18th century-style dresses and bonnets as they explained the sauces, breads, puddings and other items spread out on a table beside a roaring hearth inside the Boone House at the Daniel Boone Homestead in Exeter Township Saturday afternoon.
“It’s the smell of Christmas on the homestead,” Durbec said with a smile.
While Stevens noted that Sarah and Daniel Boone were Quakers who didn’t celebrate Christmas, the historical site that carries their name didn’t let that stop them from delving into what others who lived during their era did to mark the holiday. And the the treats on the table were the same type of things people during the 1700s would have feasted on for the special occasion.
It was part of A Homestead Holiday, a special event at the historick siteaimed at sharing a bit about what an 18th century Christmas was like.
There was a small evergreen tree adorned with ornaments made out of dried orange slices, pretzels and cookies. There were visits from Santa and the Belsnickel, the crotchety German holiday icon. There were trips around the grounds in a blue wagon pulled by a pair of massive draft horses.
That last part was Kimberly Monnan’s favorite.
“I liked the horse ride; it’s the first time I ever did anything like that,” she said. “You got to see the whole area, its really pretty here.”
Monnan and her husband, Matthew Stricker, stopped by the homestead with her son Michael. Monnan and Stricker said they grew up near the site — her in Exeter and him in Reading — but had never been there before.
“I think it’s really neat,” Monnan said. “I’ve never experienced anything like this,”
Stricker is a self-professed lover of history who for years took part in World War II reenactments. For him, A Homestead Holiday was a treat.
“I just find it interesting the way they lived,” he said. “It was more peaceful, people were better mannered. You had old-fashioned comfort and old-fashioned craftsmanship.”
The couple said they had learned quite a bit during their visit, including that Quakers don’t celebrate Christmas, which they weren’t aware of.
“That’s the fun thing about historical sites, you always learn something new,” Stricker said.