The north room contains the original kitchen fireplace and
beehive oven. Doorways are narrow and shorter than today's height.
"I think there's a
beehive oven behind this panel," Uncle Sam said.
Topics include the evolution of the cast-iron range; the roasting of oxen over outdoor fires; the royal roasting ranges in the kitchens of Windsor Palace; the clockwork devices used for open-fire roasting; the history of barms and leavens; and cooking techniques for
beehive ovens. The text is augmented by numerous illustrations (although not one of a
beehive oven, sadly).
We liked the sound of that too, so we were happy to find Al Fresco Imports'
Beehive Oven, a stylish double-walled terra-cotta model atop a portable iron stand.
Nantucket scallops, spider cornbread (from a 1796 recipe, cooked in the footed skillet that prompted its name), and a wheat bread baked in a
beehive oven also appear every night at the 7 o'clock seating.
The inn's
beehive oven has been featured in many stories written about the business, especially when competitors in the annual New England Apple Pie Contest used it to bake their prize-winning pies.
They also found a large rock with an iron hook embedded in it, a
beehive oven, a hand-hewn board carved with "PS 88 XII," and a 9-inch, solid lead stencil, stamped from "10 No.
Russell pointed out the original chestnut beams and a large fireplace with a
beehive oven where breads, puddings and cakes were once baked.
One of them, in the family room, has a brick
beehive oven of the type found in most Colonial homes.
A
beehive oven next to the hearth suggests that this room, the warmest in winter, was the original kitchen.
Visitors will see the various aspects of the past, from the humble fireplace and
beehive oven where the original family prepared its meals, to the magnificent wall murals attributed to itinerant artist Rufus Porter.
Tours of the house include seeing the hand-painted "wood-grained" woodwork, a sink pump, the working hearth and
beehive oven, the vast clothing collection, and the remarkable Rufus Porter murals.
