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“Another Bad Day”: The Diary of Henrietta Eugenia Vickers Armstrong (Part 3)

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What must it have been like to live in Thomasville at the brink of the Civil War? Here at the History Center we have the transcript of a diary written by a young, seventeen-year-old woman over the year of 1861. This diary not only gives us insight into this question but also paints a vivid picture of life in South Georgia and how it was about to drastically change. Follow along as we explore the world from Henrietta Armstrong’s point of view in this blog series!

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When we last checked in on Henrietta, she had just learned that her brother was joining the Confederate Army. At the same time, she was home in Smithville nursing her sick husband and wondering what would come next. Her diary is heading into the summer of 1861 at this point. The weather is heating up, the crops are drying out, and tensions are rising alongside the thermometer. Let’s see what happens with Henrietta next.

Within the first few days of June, Henrietta is already having a very relatable Southern summer. Just as we are accustomed to here, the weather was hot and they were in desperate need of rain. As Henrietta most appropriately put it, “My garden is literally burning up” (June 11, 1861), showing that even over a hundred fifty years ago, teenagers were throwing the word “literally” into any sentence.

In the meantime, Aeneas continued to struggle with his health. Despite beginning the month on a good note, within two days he was back to ailing, this time with “weakness of the stomach.” Coincidentally, he had just started taking a new medicine prescribed by a Dr. Mettaver a few days before. But the pendulum would soon swing back in Aeneas’s favor as Henrietta reported,

“Aeneas is a great deal better today. He applied, last night, a mustard plaster to his stomach and it has relieved him almost entirely of the soreness in his stomach.” (Tuesday June 3, 1861).

Paper packet containing Mustard Plaster, by Seabury and Johnson, 1880-1900.
Science Museum Group Collection

Mustard plasters were a popular remedy for aches and pains and were made by grinding up mustard seeds, mixing the powder with flour, and applying the mix under a bandage to the affected area much like the 1800s equivalent of an Icy-Hot Patch. The powdered mustard warms the skin and muscles – although leaving it on for too long could lead to burns. Whatever was ailing Aeneas this time, the patch seemed to help with the pain. But as seems typical for the Armstrong family, Aeneas’s good health only lasted a month until he spread a cold throughout the entire plantation.

Henrietta’s journaling from this time reveals her feelings about Smithville and life in the country in general during this time: it was dull. She states,

“We are lonesome. We see nobody at all and hear nothing.” (Friday, June 7, 1861).

The closest the Armstrong’s came to social interaction was through letters back home (including one that contained a picture of Buddie’s daughter, soon to be named Henrietta after her aunt) and conversing with the hired and enslaved workers on the plantation. The hired workers were Mr. Price, the plantation overseer, and his wife, both of whom seemed to be frequently in trouble for borrowing or taking more than they should of the Armstrong family’s food and resources.  

With none of their family or friends around for dozens of miles and very little in town to do, their entertainment came from reading books (most of which they’d already read), playing the piano (which Henrietta forgot how to do), and trying out foods from the newfangled technology of cans and tins. From this we get thrilling updates like:

“Aeneas opened a can of fresh salmon this evening. He enjoyed it very much.” (Thursday, June 6, 1861).

The next day they tried canned corn and tomatoes which were “very nice indeed.” Complaining about their situation, Henrietta admits,

“This life is getting to be very wearisome and monotonous. Aeneas is improving though everyday and I hope that he will continue to exercise prudence and take good care of himself. He is still reading “The Last of the Barons.” I have nothing to read myself. I have read every thing in the house and I am, to use a French word ‘ennuyed’ almost to death. I wish I could get my [sewing] machine, I could then do some work. As it is I have nothing to do. Aeneas and I played cards awhile this evening and then he opened another can of salmon.” (Wednesday, June 12, 1861.)

But things were about to get going. Within a few days the couple ventured out to town to retrieve Henrietta’s sewing machine that was brought by train from Macon. After learning about the intensifying fighting in Virginia between the Union and Confederate troops, Henrietta felt invigorated to help the Confederate troops.

“We were victorious in every encounter. It looks as if Providence is on our side. Mrs. McAfee gave me some drawers to make for the soldiers, I have my machine now and can get along very well.” (Saturday, June 15, 1861).

On top of her work for the soldiers, she made several new clothes for the enslaved workers on the plantation including “three shirts for Edmond, Evans, and Wilson and two dresses for Adeline and Chloe” followed by “three pairs of britches, and one dress for Malinda,” and slip dresses for the children. To make matters more exciting, Henrietta spotted a comet passing by for several days in July, remarking,

“I was very much astonished tonight by seeing a large comet in the West.” (Tuesday, July 2, 1861)

“Great Comet of 1861, also known as C/1861 J1 or comet Tebbutt” by E. Weiss.

She went on to mention the comet over several days, with it only seeming to disappear from view by the middle of the month. This turns out to be “The Great Comet of 1861” which was first seen in Australia over a month before Henrietta could see it. Several notable people across North America also wrote about seeing the comet. And if you can wait around until 2267, you could see it too!

By the end of July, Henrietta remains fairly bored with the occasional bit of news keeping her spirits from sinking too low.

“Next Wednesday is my birthday, I will be eighteen years old. I feel ten years older at least… I wish some of our relatives would visit us.” (Friday, July 26, 2861).

Unfortunately, Henrietta would have to wait another few weeks to see her family and friends. In the meantime, she lost some friends following the death of two Macon men during a battle in Virginia and the elopement of a young woman from a neighboring home who ran away with the Armstrong’s previous overseer.

Despite her ongoing boredom in Smithville, things were heating up across the country and the consequences of the Civil War were soon to come home to the Armstrong family. Will Buddie and Aeneas be called up? Will Henrietta get to leave Smithville? Will canned salmon be on the menu again?  Join us next time to hear how life is about to get more interesting for Henrietta and Aeneas.

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Recipes from the Vault: Chuckwagon Pepper Steak

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Every so often, the museum receives a donation that includes a cookbook or recipe card. Sometimes the recipes are familiar comfort foods still served on many Thomas County tables. Others… well, let’s just say some recipes are best left in the past. This series highlights some of those recipes: from the classics to the experimental. If you try any of these recipes, successfully or not, let us know what you think in the comments!

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Today’s recipe comes from Mrs. Ralph Durham with the First Baptist Church in Thomasville. Clara Elizabeth Swift (1911 Gardner, FL – 2002 Boone, NC) married William Ralph Durham sometime before 1935 in Perry, Florida. In 1938, their only child, Harvey Ralph Durham, was born. The family moved to Thomasville by 1941 and quickly became involved with the First Baptist Church on Broad Street. William became a deacon and superintendent over the Sunday school while Clara taught the Philathea Class, a bible study group for women.

Their son Ralph attended Thomasville High School where he was involved in many extra curriculars. After graduating, he attended Wake Forrest and the University of Georgia, before eventually getting his PhD in Mathematics. By 1967, Ralph was made a professor of mathematics at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. A few years later, Clara and William moved to North Carolina to be closer to their son and his family.

Big brains for mathematics need a lot of protein. Clara cooked this recipe for steak at her home and shared it with her fellow congregants at First Baptist Church of Thomasville in 1962. As you light up the grill this summer, why not try out her recipe, and let us know how you liked it?

Chuck Wagon Pepper Steak

Ingredients:

1 boneless chuck steak 2’ thick

1 tsp.  unflavored tenderizer

2 tbs. minced onion

The church as Clara would have known it. Thomasville History Center Collection: First Baptist Church – 3rd Building – 1968.

2tsp. thyme

1 tbs. butter

1 bay leaf

1 cup wine Vinegar

½ cup Olive Oil

3 tbs. lemon juice

2 tbs. cracked pepper

Directions:

Put tenderizer on steak, let stand for 30 minutes. Mix other ingredients and pour over steak turning often from one to two hours.

Remove meat.

Grill to a rich brown about 15 minutes on each side.

Mrs. Ralph Durham

First Baptist News – “Seekers Specialties” for Your Kitchen 6/10/62 Vol. 8 No. 60

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Recipes from the Vault: Squash Pickles

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Every so often, the museum receives a donation that includes a cookbook or recipe card. Sometimes the recipes are familiar comfort foods still served on many Thomas County tables. Others… well, let’s just say some recipes are best left in the past. This series highlights some of those recipes: from the classics to the experimental. If you try any of these recipes, successfully or not, let us know what you think in the comments!

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I have to warn you — there might not be a big history lesson in this blog. The History Center has been aflutter with students from all over our county coming in to get some last-minute learning done before the school year wraps up. But when you’re running around with very excited students all day, you need to keep your energy up and fuel your body with plenty of electrolytes. That’s why today’s blog features a recipe from our collections for a blue-ribbon winner that is sure to help you muster through while also tasting delicious: Squash Pickles.

Clara Hargrave’s Yearbook Photo from Valdosta State University. Image courtesy of ancestry.com.

This recipe comes to us from Clara Hargrave (1910-1998). Clara was one of six kids born to the Hargrave family in Thomasville. Her father, Walter Davis Hargrave (1876-1966), was the business manager of the Thomasville Times-Enterprise for over 50 years, a trustee for Abraham Baldwin College in Tifton, and a founding member of the Thomasville Chapter of Kiwanis. Like her father, Clara furthered her education after high school by attending Valdosta State University. She went on to work as a secretary for the Veterans Administration and later worked with the Chamber of Commerce. As the Hargrave children grew up, they donated many family items that cement their place in Thomas County’s history – including this recipe!

 
 
 
Squash Pickles

4 cups thinly sliced young squash

2 cups thinly sliced onion

3 cups sugar

2 cups vinegar

2 teaspoons whole celery seeds

2 teaspoons whole mustard seeds

1 tablespoons salt

4 bell peppers (can use Green and red Bell Peppers)

Place squash and onion and salt in container and let stand one hour. Cut up Bell Peppers and place with other ingredients and boil. After one hour has elapsed drain squash and onion of liquid that has accumulated. Place squash and onion in boiling liquid and boil approximately 2 minutes. Do not boil too log as we do not want squash soggy. Then place pickles in scalded hot jars and seal.

(Above is Blue Ribbon recipe, which calls for 4 cups squash. Brooks County Recipe calls for 8 cups of squash. I used 5 cups of squash. Emily Milton used 8 cups of squash and said it makes up just fine that way.)

C. Hargrave 5/31/76

Terrace Tea House - 628 Gordon Avenue - 1940 - 1989.09.1

Recipes from the Vault: Ice Box Rolls

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Every so often, the museum receives a donation that includes a cookbook or recipe card. Sometimes the recipes are familiar comfort foods still served on many Thomas County tables. Others… well, let’s just say some recipes are best left in the past. This series highlights some of those recipes: from the classics to the experimental. If you try any of these recipes, successfully or not, let us know what you think in the comments!

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Interior view of the Terrace Tea House, 1940. Thomasville History Center, 2015.012.0001.

Today’s recipe is a sweet treat to beat the spring heat! It comes to us from the Terrace Tea House, a restaurant and boarding house in Thomasville during the early half of the twentieth century. In 1937, just a few years after the death of her husband, Lillie May Winstead Montgomery (1887-1965) opened the Terrace Tea House inside her home at 628 Gordon Avenue. With the help of her daughter, Mary Louise (1912-1976) and son, John (1920-2003), the family kept the business going throughout the start of World War II before Lillie May took on the role of running the Three Toms Inn, a much larger hotel located further down Gordon Avenue.

Lillie May was born and raised on her family’s homestead in Paducah, Kentucky. In 1908, she married John Swift Montgomery (1882-1930) of Thomasville. Just like her father, John was what we would now call a pharmacist. The couple moved to Thomasville and lived down the street from John’s parents on Madison Street (currently part of the TNB parking lot). Lillie May ran the family home and earned extra income by taking in lodgers. Two children, one World War, and a Great Depression later, John died suddenly, leaving Lillie May to care for their two children on her own.

Advertisement from the Thomasville Times-Enterprise.

In 1937 she started the Terrace Tea House, serving lunch and dinner throughout the week during the winter season and housing lodgers, many of whom were newly-weds waiting to find their first home. Several clubs held meetings there, such as the Rotary Club after their usual spot, Glen Arven Country Club, was damaged in a storm. By 1942, Lillie May was approached with a new opportunity of running the Three Toms Inn. She closed down the Tea House and moved to the Inn, but we are fortunately left with her hand-made recipe books to remember her business by.

 
 
 

 

Ice Box Rolls

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lard
  • 1 yeast cake
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Enough flour to make soft dough.

Method: Let [mix of all ingredients] stand in ice box over night. Roll out [dough] two hours before baking and let rise. Bake about 20 minutes. Put melted butter on top.

Terrace Tea House Recipes. Thomasville, Ga.

employment background

Recipes from the Vault: Coca Cola Chicken

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Every so often, the museum receives a donation that includes a cookbook or recipe card. Sometimes the recipes are familiar comfort foods still served on many Thomas County tables. Others… well, let’s just say some recipes are best left in the past. This series highlights some of those recipes: from the classics to the experimental. If you try any of these recipes, successfully or not, let us know what you think!

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Todays recipe comes from Anna Mitchell in the book Our Favorite Recipes, a cookbook compiled as a fundraiser for the Thomasville Firemen’s Fund in 1969. The Fund set aside money for emergencies the firemen might face such as hospital bills incurred in the line of duty.

The cookbook includes a brief history of fire fighting in Thomasville starting with the first department organized in 1866.

“The first Fire Protection Company of any type was organized in 1866 by the Mayor of Thomasville at that time, Col. Peter McGlashon. They were called the ‘Neptunes.’ For the next 30 years there were a number of men elected Chief of the organization although none of them were paid.  Neither was there a Fire Station. After a particularly disastrous fire on Broad St. in 1873, there was quite a bit of dissension and misunderstanding in the organization. For the next few years four or five different men headed the Organization. Then in 1896 the ‘Neptunes’ asked the city to take over their equipment and disbanded the organization. In 1897 the first Engine House was constructed.”

That engine house was located on the corner of East Jackson Street and Crawford Street, just a few feet away from the current location. The two story, brick building was divided into three sections: one room for storage, one room for the fire engine, and one room for the supply wagon. A small wooden structure on the side held the extra hoses.

Speaking of the engine, the cookbook goes on to describe the department’s vehicles over the years.

“In February 1913, the Department got its first motor driven fire apparatus. A Type 10 American LaFrance Pumper. In 1916 – a Type 12 Pumper. In December 1916, the Department suffered its first casualty. Chief Dawkins was killed in a wreck enroute to a fire. The accident occurred under the ‘Big Oak’ of Thomasville. He collided with an auto driven by Mrs. Frank Woodward. Oscar Davis, Sr. who was later made Chief, was injured in the same wreck. Chief Porter was elected Chief to succeed Dawkins. This was in 1918. During the next 30 years there were many improvements. An alarm system was installed, two new pumpers purchased, additional men were hired, until at present we have five pumpers and one 65 foot aerial truck. In 1954 another Fire Station was completed on Bartow St. The Department now operates with the Chief I. D. Golden, an assistant Chief, and 28 men. These men work 24 hours on duty and then are off 24 hours.”

The second vehicle mentioned above, the Type 12 American LeFrance Pumper, was donated to the Thomasville History Center in 1972. In 2016, a century after it first arrived in Thomasville, the engine was restored to its original appearance and remains on display at the History Center in the Flowers Garage.

If you’re interested in learning more about Thomasville’s fire department history, drop by the museum to check out our exhibit on the department and see the LeFrance in all her shining glory. For now, let’s get back to the cookbook portion of our story – a little recipe for something called “Coca Cola Chicken”!

 

Coca Cola Chicken

1 fryer [chicken], cut up

1 c. catchup

¼ – ½ c. lemon juice

Garlic salt

1 c. Coca Cola

1 c. Worcestershire Sauce

¼ c. sherry (optional)

Put CocaCola, catchup, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice in a thick pot with a tight lid and bring to a boil. Put garlic salt on pieces of chicken. Put chicken in pot, bring to a boil again. Turn to simmer.  Put lid on tightly and cook for 45-60 minutes. Check and add water if gravy becomes too thick. Add sherry just before taking out of pot. Serve on fluffy white rice. Approximately 4 servings.

Anna Mitchell

Our Favorite Recipes: Presented by the Thomasville Firemens Fund of Thomasville, Georgia 1969

Piney Woods Hotel - 1895 - Menu

Recipes from the Vault: A Night at the Piney Woods Hotel

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Every so often, the museum receives a donation that includes a cookbook or recipe card. Sometimes the recipes are familiar comfort foods still served on many Thomas County tables. Others… well, let’s just say some recipes are best left in the past. This series highlights some of those recipes: from the classics to the experimental. If you try any of these recipes, successfully or not, let us know what you think!

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Happy New Year! And to start off your New Year right, why not take a note from the past when putting together the menu for your next dinner party? Today we have a menu card from January 27, 1895 at the Piney Woods Hotel. Take a look to see what was served to the fancy guests of yesteryear. Can you identify half these dishes? Or have ever eaten any of them yourself? Let’s dive into this menu and see what recipes you might (or might not) consider trying out yourself. And in the immortal words of the Barefoot Contessa, if you can’t make the ingredients yourself, “store bought is fine.”                                         

First up is Lynn Haven Oysters. These are a specific oyster found in the Lynnhaven River in Virginia. They have a long history with English and American settlers in the New World and are favored for having a light, fresh taste that isn’t too fishy. If you want to put some on your table, simply place an order through the Lynnhaven Oyster Club: a package of 50 costs only $42.50!

Next on the menu are soups: Clear Green Turtle au Madere and Cream of Chicken Princess. At the time this menu was written, turtle soup was all the rage; especially in Southern coastal areas where sea turtles were easily found. That is until they weren’t. The craze for turtle soup contributed to a major decline in the sea turtle population in the first half of the twentieth century. It is now illegal to hunt sea turtles, a protected species under the Endangered Species Act, so if I were you, I’d stick to the cream of chicken soup.

Throw some olives and celery on the table as a palate cleanser or festive decoration as your guests will probably need to save room for the upcoming dishes.

Since you missed out on a seafood option with the turtle soup, how about some Fresh Lobster Pattie a la Cardinal? This recipe calls for only the best: lobster, lobster eggs, and black truffles. Those last two ingredients, along with several others, go into the sauce that creates the “Cardinal” part of the recipe’s name. If the cost hasn’t dissuaded you, I suggest looking up the recipe yourself. If you aren’t a lobster fan, how about the Boiled Kennebec Salmon in Sauce Diplomat? The recipe calls for many of the same ingredients as the lobster above, just substitute the lobster with very salty salmon and add a white sauce with the lobster eggs and black truffles mixed in. While you’re at it, pair the salmon with some light cucumbers and a side of Parisienne Potatoes, France’s round buttery answer to the French Fry.

Hopefully, you aren’t full yet as we’re only half-way through the menu! Next, we have Fried Chicken a la Maryland; Diamond Back Terrapin en Caisse, Club Style; and Queen Fritters, Vanilla Flavor. Unfortunately, this is not the Maryland Fried Chicken you can find on Jackson Street, but instead a fried chicken fillet covered in a white gravy and a side of bananas – yet it may be the easiest to prepare from this grouping. As we said earlier, turtles are illegal so the Diamond Back Terrapin will have to go on the metaphorical back burner. Lastly, we have Queen Fritters – a fancier version of cream-filled donuts.

As roast ribs and duck are fairly self-explanatory dishes, let’s skip to the Roman Punch to help us wash down those first few courses! This drink is made similarly to today’s mimosa but with a twist: add lemon juice alongside the orange juice and champagne and top the mix off with a healthy dollop of light and fluffy meringue. Serve over ice, preferably from a punch bowl.

After that palate cleanser, it’s onto a Saddle of Venison in Currant Jelly alongside lettuce in French Dressing (or salad as the kids would say). After that come a multitude of recognizable sides: boiled potatoes, stewed tomatoes, mashed potatoes, spinach, and rice. Oyster Plant is another name for Salsify Root, a plant native to Southern Europe whose flavor is described as somewhere between oysters and artichoke. In our case, the plant was likely sauteed in butter. Sweet Potatoes, Georgian Style is similar to Sweet Potato Soufflé, often still seen on many Southern tables during the holidays.

Finally, we reach the desserts. Queen Pudding is made from a little cake of breadcrumbs and eggs topped with jam and meringue, although this recipe uses a Sherry wine sauce instead. The Mince Pie on the list is most likely the fruit-only version we are more familiar with today rather than the more Dickensian meaty variety. Port Wine Jelly is just as it sounds – a jelly made from Port Wine. The dessert section fills out with coconut pie, strawberry ice cream, and assorted cake (probably leftovers from another meal). The menu is rounded out with the nineteenth century version of a charcuterie board of fruits (raisins being separated for some reason), nuts, crackers, and cheese all topped off with a cup of coffee.

If you have reached the end of this blog and are still upright and not overwhelmed by the thought of slogging through a dinner at the Piney Woods Hotel, congratulations! This Sunday dinner menu reads more like a food challenge at a fancy restaurant than fare for a modern dinner party. But, for fun, why not try one or two of these recipes the next time you have guests over. Preferably, friends who enjoy a good gastronomic adventure!