Happy Independence Day!

Greetings from New York City!  Here's our first Revolutionary Round-up on the birthday of our Republic.  Thanks to Round Tablers Douglas Kiddie, Joanne Grasso, and Lynne Saginaw, who contributed to our summer kick-off.

Let's start with a few views of Revolutionary War sites you might want to visit.  First let's take the C train up to Washington Heights and Morris Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace, Manhattan.  For more information, visit http://www.morrisjumel.org

Photos by Douglas Kiddie

Now let's head south to Annapolis.  Round Tabler Joanne Grasso reports from her visit there earlier this year: "Annapolis was a surprise to me because, I, like so many others, thought that Baltimore was the capital of Maryland.  Annapolis is also the beautiful city in which the Naval Academy resides.  It was great spending time in the historic section of Annapolis.  There is a myriad of shops, outdoor cafes, and historic inns.  It is not a bad drive from New York and it can also be accessed by bus or Amtrak as well.  It is well worth the trip to see one of our Revolutionary areas of the original thirteen states."  For more information, visit http://www.visitannapolis.org and click on "History and Heritage."

Two views of the gracious State House.  Photos by Joanne Grasso.

It's time for dessert!  Below, Round Tabler Lynne Saginaw reports on a favorite.

Cool Thoughts for a Hot Day

In the June 2014 issue of the ARRT newsletter, Editor Tom Fleming (yes, that Thomas Fleming), had a few things to say about the Founding Fathers’ favorite treat:

“In the 18^th Century, ‘Ice creem’ was a delicacy favored by the elite.  Thomas Jefferson loved it and so did George Washington.  A family needed enough money to devote a lot of milk to the product, plus quantities of imported sugar.  Also needed was ice, which had to be cut on a river or pond during the winter and kept in an ice house for use during the summer.  The final preparations took a lot of time that families without servants could not spare.  

"By the time George became our first president, he was a devotee.  His records reveal the purchase of an ice cream serving spoons and two ‘dble tin Ice Cream moulds.’  Next came twelve ‘ice plates’ and thirty-six ‘ice pots.’  The latter were small cups used for holding the ice cream which was more liquid than our 2014 version.  One writer compares Georges’ version to ‘a running ice cream cone o a hot day.’  The number of ice cream pots suggested that the President must have served the taste-treat at his formal dinner parties, where there were often two dozen or more guests.  No wonder he was a popular president!”

Those charming factoids got book review chair Lynne Saginaw, salivating, er thinking.  As a passionate devotee of the cold sweet stuff, she set out to learn and thing or two about ice cream in those days.  

She reports:  “According to Saveur Magazine, the ice-house-deprived were not out of luck if they lived in New York City.  In 1777, the May 12 edition of the New York Gazette and Weekly Mercury sported an advertisement from one Phillip Lindsay (or Lenzi) for ice cream on sale in his confectioner’s shop in Manhattan. 

Dolley Madison, image courtesy of www.Wikipedia.com

"The IDFA (International Dairy Farmers’ Association) says that ice cream was introduced by Quaker colonists.  Popular flavors were sweetened lemon, cherry, raspberry, currant and strawberry.  In addition to Washington and Jefferson, Ben Franklin was a fan of ice cream, and of course, Dolley Madison reportedly served it in the White House, leading to that 20^th Century commercial tie-in.”

Lynne is looking for the location of Lenzi’s confectionary shop.  She thinks it deserves landmark status, or at least a plaque.  Might our readers have any ideas?  Post comments below.

And now, go out and celebrate our Republic!