If You Can't Take the Heat, Build a Summer Kitchen

If You Can't Take the Heat, Build a Summer Kitchen. . , Thornbury Delaware County Historical Commission , Historic Resource Property #008 Sarum Farmstead, Summer kitchens helped keep the main house cool during the hottest months of the year., They were popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Separate from the house, they were used for cooking, laundry, and other hot, smelly tasks. Summer kitchens usually had a fireplace and a large cast-iron stove. Residents would move the stove from the main house to the summer kitchen each year. The main house could stay cool even when cooking or preserving was heating up the summer kitchen. It also reduced the risk of fire to the main house. With advances in air conditioning and circulation, summer kitchens fell out of use. There has been a recent trend of creating outdoor cooking areas with built-in grills, counters, and sinks, sometimes called "summer kitchens.” These spaces are more about aesthetics and convenience, unlike the original summer kitchens., , This summer kitchen was originally part of Sarum Farm, located a few minutes away. Here it is to the left of the main house. This orientation used prevailing winds to carry smoke and smells away from the house. The structure was disassembled and moved to its current location to protect it from demolition in 2018. It sits in its original orientation on this site. , Captions: , 1866-1910 , Willcox, 1783-1866 , Abraham Sharpless , Abraham W. Sharpless, 1773-1783 , Talbot, c. 1690-1773 , Taylor, Summer kitchen, This plan, created in 2004 as survey of the site, shows the summer kitchen in relationship to the main house.