There will be a lot of talk about the fanciful means and mechanisms of “time travel” today. HG Wells sparked imaginations with The Time Machine in 1895. Some suspect the DeLorean that has started appearing in Saline may have enhanced capabilities not yet fully disclosed. [1,2]
But we know any discussion of “How?” could never be as exciting as questions of “When?” and “Where?” The first answer is “December 1930.” The place: Saline, Michigan.
You’ll have three opportunities this month to step back over eighty years into the past, to Christmastime as it happened in the historic Rentschler farmhouse on East Michigan Avenue.
Set your schedule for two Saturdays, December 9 and 16 (11:00am to 3:00pm) and one Sunday, December 17 (1:00pm to 4:00pm). Then see how our own Saline Area Historical Society prepares its Depression-era table with a display of typical German-American deserts. [3,4]
Can you almost smell the appetizing aroma right now?
“At that time in history, although people did not have much in terms of money, offering food to visitors was paramount,” begins Agnes Dikeman, Director Emeritus.
“On the farm, it was fairly easy to save eggs, butter, and milk for baking. The farm wife would have had to buy sugar, but even flour was readily available if the farmer had wheat: He could always take some to the mill and have it ground.”
Common deserts of this time period included:
- stöllen (coffee cake)
- lebkuchen (molasses cookie)
- spingerle (picture cookie)
- fruit cake
- schnitzbrodt (dark bread with small pieces of fruit)
“We will surely have a bowl of fresh fruit on the buffet,” Mrs Dikeman continues. “Farm families always had apples in the cellar and could have purchased a few oranges that came by train to the local general store. The local merchant would put a big ad in the Saline newspaper.” [5,6]
Visitors can also see here a private collection of antique Santa figures on the buffet and two antique angels from Germany.
For everything else, you’ll have to stop at Rentschler Farm Museum to get the complete experience.
References
- “Saline Street Machines Car Show Marks 35th Year (with Local Videos)” Dell Deaton (August 15, 2017) Saline Journal.
- “Pastor’s Transport Choice Takes Him Back to the Future” Steven Howard (August 17, 2017) The Saline Post.
- Saline Area Historical Society (home page).
- “Saline Area Historical Society: Farmhouse – Dining Room” (July 7, 2017) YouTube (“Saline History” Channel).
- “Take a Ride on the Detroit, Hillsdale & Indiana Line” Bob Conradi (April 26, 2015) The Saline Post.
- “newspaper” Merriam-Webster.
