We have all heard the expression, “Many hands make light work.” This seemed to be the idea behind the frolics, parties and bees of our Goschenhoppen forefathers. Diaries that have been saved and translated from the original Pennsylvania German dialect attest to the popularity of these “parties.”
Excerpts from the diary of John F. Landis read: “June 16, 1866 – Had a “bee” to finish hauling down remainder of old house – 11 men” and “March 20, 1875 – Hulda, the baby and Sue went to a rag party.” Landis continued: “November 30, 1875 – Samuel had a frolic to fill up his shed” and “June 16, 1887 – Went to Lobian Keller’s barn raising, about 50 men, only got girders and frame on wall till noon. They drank 5 or 6 quarts of liquor.”
June must have been the month for barn raisings, as Henry C. Krupp also records in his diary, June 19, 1888, “asked 20 persons to help raise the barn tomorrow (fur die scheuer aufuschlagen).” And again, “Benjamin helped raise Sam Heckman’s barn” on June 2, 1893.
Yes, if there was a big job to be done, a bee, a raising, a party or a frolic was just the thing called for. Pleasures came from the fellowship, making the hard labors seem more like fun.
Many of the “old time tasks” are being demonstrated by our craftsmen at the Annual Goschenhoppen Folk Festival.
The quilters bring back fond memories to Mrs. Ella Culp, formerly of Schwenksville and Delphi. She recalls making patchwork quilts from leftover pieces of material with the ladies, gathering to help quilt the completed top to its base. As a young, unmarried girl (born in 1880), she was amused by the reprimand of her elders as they would warn, “Make little stitches or your husband will get his toes caught in them.”
Using leftover material scraps for the quilt, as mentioned by Ella, is called “pieced patchwork.” It is “the only form of American needlework wholly American, without root or kin in the old world.” Pieced patchwork was the favorite of the thrifty plain people of the region.
It has been said that “the tongues moved as fast as the needles” at a quilting bee. We can see why they were so popular! In addition to getting a big job done more quickly, the ladies had a good excuse for exchanging village gossip. Judging from the numerous entries in old diaries regarding quilting, this was indeed a very popular type of bee.
Husking bees gave the men and womenfolk a chance to work together. Tradition has it that if a man found a red ear while husking, he could kiss the lady of his choice.
Harvesting ice in winter was heavy work, and a job not well-liked by some; one gentleman at last year’s Goschenhoppen Folk Festival told us he never minded the work of harvesting because, in his home, once you harvested your ice needs, you could bring home some extra ice for making ice cream. “Somehow that made the whole task seem worthwhile,” he said.
Boys were needed to help with the harvesting of ice, and (old diaries again as evidence) school attendance dropped greatly while ice houses were being filled.
We’re told that apple butter parties used to be fun. Visit our apple butter makers. There’s so much to be learned about this subject. Most persons, for example, prefer apple butter to ”age” a year or longer before using it. It gets darker and thicker. It does not spoil or go bad. Just store your apple butter in a crock covered with brown paper. When you want some, scoop some out of the crock, and if it has become too thick, just add hot water and stir until the butter is to the consistency of your liking.
A few informers recall how they deliberately set some apple butter aside to “harden.” This was later cracked into small pieces and eaten as candy. Apple butter candy is a delicacy, I’ve been informed.
Just how true it is I do not know, but one woman told me her mother had a crock of apple butter for 45 years and it stayed good with “no preservative added.” Water was put into the crock and the contents stirred from time to time to prevent it from hardening too much. While I cannot vouch for the 45 year old apple butter, I do personally know families who are now eating five year old apple butter.
Little girls often helped with apple butter making, just as they also helped their mothers to spin flax into thread, weave cloth, pickle, preserve and dry fruits and make soap and candles.
The Historian is produced by the New Hanover Historical Society. This article is featured with the permission of the Goschenhoppen Historians. Call Bob Wood at 610-326-4165 with comments.
