Brewing and Baking - St Mary's, MD - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The plaque says, "Garrett Van Sweringen constructed this building in the late 1600s for brewing and baking. He hoped to meet a growing demand for these products in the city and from passing ships. His inventory lists two large "coppers" and other brewing-related items. He planned to start brewing as early at 1677, when he placed a large order for barley malt and hops. In the Netherlands, brewing was a respected and profitable occupation. Beer making equipment and bills for beer indicate that Van Sweringen brewed. The chimney's shape here suggests it had a bake oven, and one "large bread tray" is listed in the inventory. Van Sweringen took advantage of the opportunities offered by the demand for beer and bread.

[Captions:]
There are few clues to tell us the scale of Garrett Van Sweringen's baking operations. In Europe, bakers signaled that their wares were available hot out of the oven by blowing a horn.

This ceramic vessel is called a patty pan and was used to bake both sweet and savory pies. Morgan Jones, Maryland's first potter, made this vessel.

The process of brewing beer required many different tools and materials including large metal pots for boiling water over the open fire, blankets to cover the cooking vessels to keep in the heat, sieves for straining, hops to provide scent and flavor, and barrels for storage.

The base of the chimney discovered here is unusual in that it seems to have a second firebox outlined on the right. This is believed to be the support for a bake oven.

[Aside:]
A Mystery Barrel

Archaeologists digging this outbuilding found a wooden barrel that had been buried near the chimney. When excavated, the wooden hoops that once held it together were seen as soil impressions and the nails that fastened the hoops were still in place. Why did someone intentionally bury a barrel? Could it have been a mini-cooling chamber or did it capture rain water? What do you think is the reason?

[Captions:]
The barrel as first discovered.

Detail of barrel during excavation showing impressions of the wooden hoops.

The fully excavated barrel with the upper half of the soil fill around it dug out."

Group that erected the marker: Historic St. Mary's City Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: St Mary's, MD URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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