Washington in Washington County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

The Heart of the Home

Photographed By James Hulse, February 25, 2023

1. The Heart of the Home Marker

Inscription.

The Heart of the Home. . Kitchens have changed over time but are still considered the heart of the home.. If You Cant Stand the Heat Busy work spaces, kitchens were strategically built away from the main living quarters to keep ash, smoke, and heat out of the home. Texans cooked over an open fire using cast-iron, copper, brass, or tin pots and pans. Long handles on these tools allowed the cook to remain comfortable while tending to the coals. Stoves could not always be included when outfitting a kitchen because they were expensive and fragile., The Beauty of Fire You can cook the same meal on a fireplace as you can on a modern stove, it just uses different methods. Hanging a kettle above the fire, using hooks to raise and lower it, is like putting a pot on a burner. Placing a Dutch-oven, or bake kettle, on the hearth and placing hot coals on the lid and underneath it creates convection heat like your oven at home. Placing the tin kitchen in front of the fire uses convection and radiant heat to cook the whole bird on a spit. Many items, like potatoes, can also be baked in the hot coals on the hearth itself., Compare and Contrast Imagine cooking your dinner in a kitchen like this over an open fire. Besides the smoke and ash, hauling water, and starting the fire, it might take four hours to complete a meal from start to finish. Think of cooking in a kitchen like this as a lot like camping. What differences do you notice between this building and the reproduction of an 1850's kitchen? What compares and contrasts with your kitchen at home?, Captions Left: According to author John Michael Vlach, most kitchens were very basic-single rooms with a simple fireplace in which to cook. Middle: A Chicken Roasts in the tin kitchen on the hearth while cabbage boils suspended from the crane above the fire. Right: This Reproduction Kitchen is used at Barrington Farm to prepare meals for the staff on the weekend. If you go down to the farm you can see a working kitchen from the inside.

Kitchens have changed over time but are still considered the heart of the home.
If You Cant Stand the Heat
Busy work spaces, kitchens were strategically built away from the main living quarters to keep ash, smoke, and heat out of the home. Texans cooked over an open fire using cast-iron, copper, brass, or tin pots and pans. Long handles on these tools allowed the cook to remain comfortable while tending to the coals. Stoves could not always be included when outfitting a kitchen because they were expensive and fragile.

The Beauty of Fire
You can cook the same meal on a fireplace as you can on a modern stove, it just uses different methods. Hanging a kettle above the fire, using hooks to raise and lower it, is like putting a pot on a burner. Placing a Dutch-oven, or bake kettle, on the hearth and placing hot coals on the lid and underneath it creates convection heat like your oven at home. Placing the tin kitchen in front of the fire uses convection and radiant heat to cook the whole bird on a spit. Many items, like potatoes, can also be baked in the hot coals on the hearth itself.

Compare and Contrast
Imagine cooking your dinner in a kitchen like this over an open fire. Besides the smoke and ash, hauling water, and starting the fire, it might take four

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hours to complete a meal from start to finish. Think of cooking in a kitchen like this as a lot like camping. What differences do you notice between this building and the reproduction of an 1850's kitchen? What compares and contrasts with your kitchen at home?

Captions
Left: According to author John Michael Vlach, most kitchens were very basic-single rooms with a simple fireplace in which to cook.
Middle: A Chicken Roasts in the tin kitchen on the hearth while cabbage boils suspended from the crane above the fire.
Right: This Reproduction Kitchen is used at Barrington Farm to prepare meals for the staff on the weekend. If you go down to the farm you can see a working kitchen from the inside.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 30° 19.482′ N, 96° 9.22′ W. Marker is in Washington, Texas, in Washington County. Marker can be reached from Park Road 12, half a mile east of Farm to Market Road 1155. The marker is located in the northeast section of the Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historical Park near the Star Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 23400 Park Road 12, Washington TX 77880, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Andrew Robinson, Sr. (within shouting distance of this marker); "Gus"

The Heart of the Home Marker at the back side of the house image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, February 25, 2023

2. The Heart of the Home Marker at the back side of the house

(about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); George Campbell Childress (about 500 feet away); Washington County (about 500 feet away); Washington-on-the-Brazos (approx. 0.2 miles away); Birth of a Republic (approx. 0.2 miles away); Here a Nation was Born (approx. 0.2 miles away); Little Town on the River (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Washington.

The front of the house image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, February 25, 2023

3. The front of the house

Credits. This page was last revised on February 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 27, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 68 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 27, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.