When Ginny Reinhard spots a historic mechanical device, she clearly can’t help the excitement in her voice when she tells a visitor just what it is.
“It’s a weasel,” said Reinhard, president of the Orange Historical Society, without hesitation jumping right in to explain that the device winds yarn into skeins.
And yes, there are many such mysterious devices decorating the historic Bryan Andrew House that has sat upon the same land on Old Tavern Road in Orange since circa 1740.
But in that house filled with historic items, many collected by Reinhard over the years, her expertise in explaining what each was used for and how it helped life in the 18th century also is clear. One boxy little item in the house with a small bowl-like holder inside seemed quite useful for those living without central heating: Hot coals could be put in it and there you had a foot warmer for those cold colonial nights or frosty carriage rides.
And those lovely colonial colors in different rooms of the house? Some are even original to the rare building that was continuously occupied by families for hundreds of years and now is open to the public, Reinhard said.
Reinhard’s knowledge of the first of the 13 or so families who have occupied the saltbox home over the past nearly three centuries also is clear. The Bryans came to the property from Milford, she explained, on land purchased from the Paugussett Tribe. The Andrews came later, through marriage.
Now, Reinhard said, it’s the oldest house in the small suburban town that sits between Milford, West Haven and Derby. The town of Orange bought the house in 2000 to keep the site from being developed and the Historical Society maintains and preserves it, with hours open to the public, schools and groups for tours.
The key, Reinhard said, is to keep interest alive and to educate about what local life in Connecticut was like, even before Orange was Orange. Amid the hearths are cooking utensils, used then and used now in a new and unusual program that is attracting attention and drawing new visitors.
An idea that has taken off for the society is the new “hearth cooked dinners” program, she said. And when the society says hearth-cooked, that is exactly what members mean.
The largest hearth in the house, which is large enough almost to walk in, is now used to cook one of three different menus available for events, and the cookware used to cook it is 18th century “clean” ironware, Reinhard said.
“We just want people to embrace the history, we want them to learn,” she said. “They are going to experience being here in 1740.”
“The food is colonial,” Reinhard said, referring to recipes and ways of cooking, not its freshness.
In keeping with the historical bent of the dinners, the three menu choices available are codfish cakes, (made by a society member) with a vegetable side dish and lovage potatoes; pot roast with carrots and lovage potatoes; and Brunswick Stew, which contains chicken, vegetables and potatoes. Each comes with Apple Charlotte for dessert. Lovage is an herb and it is kept at the house just as it might have been in the 1740s.
“The food was great,” said Marianne Bauer of Orange, who attended a demonstration of how the society presents the dinners. “You learn and enjoy the camaraderie. They put their all into the house.”
Bower said she and others got to watch and participate in helping with part of the meal.
“It’s an idea of what life was like,” she said. “It’s a totally different way to cook. We were part of the whole house.”
Reinhard, who with other society members is licensed to do the meals, said that in addition to the hearth area, the house now also has a licensed kitchen.
“I think food brings people together, people enjoy food,” she said. “We are so involved with people enjoying this, we enjoy ourselves.”
Amanda Giachino, 16, who is a student at Amity Regional High School and a docent at the house that helps with the tours, said she learned to love history through travel with her family. She can explain elements of the home to visitors and willingly dons the colonial cap needed for the part.
“Being able to be involved as a docent, I enjoy it a lot,” she said.
Reinhard said the people to date who have had a dinner at the house “have embraced it.”
“Everybody that leaves here leaves in great spirits,” she said. “We don’t leave here grumbling.”
The events that can be held at the house are for parties of eight to 10 adults, and the cost is $45 per person. A bottle of white wine can be purchased as well. For more information, email [email protected].
