Domestic Life at the Farm

Domestic Life at the Farm. . Breezeway, Kitchen, and Servants' Quarters , When Captain Nichols built the hosue in 1870, a gangway connected the kitchen to the house. A kitchen fire in 1880 required the gangway to be removed to save the house from destruction. The current breezeway was constructed circa 1910. This enabled the servants to carry the food from the kitchen to the house regardless of the weather. During the time of the Hardmans, the building behind the kitchen was used as the servants' quarters and smokehouse., According to the 1870 census, Captain Nichols employed the following servants: , . Peter McDermed, Coachman , . Sarah McComb, Housekeeper , . Belle Powell, House servant , . Lewis Slater, House servant , . George Trammel, House servant , The purpose of the detached kitchen was to keep the house cool on hot summer days and to prevent the house from catching fire. When Nichols built this kitchen, the staff would have cooked on a cast iron stove. , What is a Smokehouse , In early winter, Nichols' farm workers butchered animals to use for food. Since fresh meat would not last long, it had to be cured in a smokehouse., Meat was hung from the rafters and a fire was kept burning tso the rising smoke would cure the meat. hickory and oak burned slowly and smoked heavily, which added flavor to the meat. The smoking process usually took a week. Afterwards, the cuts were wrapped in cheesecloth and left hanging until needed.