Twentieth-Century Changes

Twentieth-Century Changes. Smokehouse to Ice House, Laundry and Automobiles. , Preserving Meat , The smokehouse was a standard structure on plantations and homesteads before refrigeration. Butchering took place in the winter months, and fresh meat cuts were preserved in a two-step process., (1) Fresh cuts were rubbed down with a mixture of salt, saltpeter, sugar and pepper, then stored in boxes of salt for about six weeks to draw moisture out of the flesh. , (2) The salted meats were hung from rafters above a smoldering fire on the dirt floor one to two weeks, resulting in a dried, long-lasting, smoke-flavored meat, edible for about two years., Keeping it Cool , The smokehouse was converted to an ice house circa 1913 when the Dent siblings started a dairy operation. The ice was needed to preserve and keep the milk cool., To keep ice cool, an inner brick-wall compartment was built within the existing structure to store the ice blocks, and the open space-surrounding the ice chamber and was insulated with sawdust. A small drain allowed ice melt runoff. When the sawdust became saturated with condensation or meltwaters, it was replaced., Laundering Clothes , The brick laundry-yard enclosure was added around the time the plantation was converted to a dairy. The lattice-type open brick pattern allowed air to circulate while providing a barrier to grazing cows and pigs., Clothes Washing Instructions , Build fire in backyard to heat the kettle of rain water. Set tubs as smoke won’t blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water. Sort things make 3 piles 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work britches and rags. To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth then this down with boiling water. Take white things, rub dirty spots on board scrub hard and boil, then rub colored don’t boil just wrence [rinse] and starch. Take things out of kettle with broom stick. Spread tea towels on grass. Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water. Turn tubs upside down. Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair coame. Brew cup of tea, sit, rock a spell and count your blessings., Getting Around , As independent women, Ophelia and Miriam purchased several automobiles in their lifetimes, which they used to visit friends, travel and deliver milk to Brunswick residents during the dairy’s operation (1913-1942), The garage was added around 1930. The last car Ophelia Dent purchased was a 1970 Oldsmobile. At one point , Ophelia gave it to her friend Bill Haynes who was in need of a vehicle. Bill returned the Cutlass to Hofwyl-Broadfield after her death where it resides in the garage (far right), (Georgia Map Outline Insert) , Hofwyl-Broadfield maintained a complex of structures and enclosures that housed the numerous tasks and machinery necessary for day-to-day operations. After the Civil War, the rice-culture of the south steadily declined, and Hofwyl-Broadfield’s survival depended upon its ability to adapt. Nature reclaimed many buildings and enslaved dwellings. The surviving structures near the house were repurposed over time to meet the changing needs of its inhabitants as they moved into the twentieth century., (captions) , Smokehouse (top, circa 1900) converted to an ice house with addition of the laundry enclosure and garage (today) , Local women were hired from town to do the laundry. , Many recipes like this were passed down through generations.