What's On the Menu at Cold Spring?

For years we could only speculate about the culinary delights served to visitors and guests at the Cold Spring Hotel.  Newspapers prior to 1881 give few particulars about the hotel table.  But after the second hotel building was constructed adjacent to the old hotel and other improvements made, many news articles attest to the Cold Spring Hotel’s fine reputation for its cuisine.  Correspondents who dined at the hotel noted:  “excellent cuisine” (1881); “the bill of fare included everything palatable and healthful, and the beauty of it is that the supper was but a specimen of the every-day cuisine of the hotel” (1884); “the table [is] abundantly supplied with a variety of well cooked and well served viands” (1888); “the table is all that any person might wish for” (1888); “the table is bountifully supplied with appetizingly cooked food” (1891); “the cuisine cannot be excelled” (1891); and more.  High praises - but what particular foods and dishes did the patrons actually eat?

According to an 1888 Harrisburg Telegraph article:  "The table will be abundantly supplied with fresh meats and vegetables, daily, from Harrisburg markets, also from the farm connected with the park, which also furnishes fresh milk, cream, butter, eggs, etc."  Circulars from the 1890's advertising the Cold Spring Resort similarly state:  "The Table is supplied with the best of everything in season.  Our own farm, connected with the Park, furnishes fresh milk, cream, eggs, poultry, etc.  The best creamery butter will be constantly supplied for table use."  In the 1880's and 1890's the farm at Cold Spring included a stable, a chicken house, a pig sty, apple and peach orchards, a vineyard, grain fields and vegetable gardens, all of which would have supplied food for the hotel table.  Other food supplies, such as flour and cornmeal from the mill at Lickdale, were reportedly brought by wagon over Second Mountain.  This information reveals some of the staple foodstuffs the hotel cooks had to work with - but what specific dishes did they prepare for visitors and guests? 

We pondered over possible menu items based on the aforementioned information and culinary dishes suggested by menus from the 1880’s and 1890’s from similarly classed hotels in Harrisburg, Lebanon and Reading, some of which were owned and operated at times by the various owners and managers of the Cold Spring Hotel.  Then we came across the following 1892 ad:

Ad stating "Chickens and Waffles will be served"
Reading Times - May 9, 1892

Also we found a Reading Times article describing the annual Fall outing of the Reading Press Club in 1897, a train excursion to various points of interest, including a stop at Cold Spring where the newspapermen and their families enjoyed a dinner of “chickens and waffles and all the desirable concomitants prepared with a lavish hand.”  By its numerous mentions in social news of the time, chickens and waffles was a popular dish served at banquets and large gatherings.  And it was served more than once at the Cold Spring Hotel.

After years of contemplating about the culinary delights served to visitors and guests at the Cold Spring Hotel, imagine our excitement when recently we came across a news story describing the Schuylkill County Bar Association’s annual dinner excursion, to Cold Spring, in July 1888.  Included was the following detailed menu for the “elegant dinner” they enjoyed:

Cold Spring Hotel Dinner Excursion Menu
as printed in the
Harrisburg Telegraph - July 20, 1888

If anyone has additional information on foods served at the Cold Spring Hotel, or a hotel menu, or knows the names of persons who worked in the hotel kitchens or dining rooms (or was employed in any other job at Cold Spring), we'd appreciate hearing from you.  Post a comment or contact us at email.

Black History Month: The Philomathean Quartette at Cold Spring

Music played a part in creating the ambiance of a pleasure resort at Cold Spring.  Local bands often accompanied excursion parties, entertaining them on the train ride and furnishing music for dancing and enjoyment while at Cold Spring.  Bands and orchestras were hired for special events, such as informal hops and elegant dances, holidays and celebrations, and visits by dignitaries.  Sometimes talented guests would provide evening musical entertainment, both instrumental and vocal, in the hotel parlor.  At times the Cold Spring Resort even had its own in-house entertainment.

During the summer of 1884, visitors to Cold Spring were pleasurably entertained by the musical renditions of the Philomathean Quartette, whose members resided at the resort throughout the warm summer months.  A newspaper article at the end of the summer reported:  “The Philomathean Quartette…made a great hit at Cold Springs by rendering some of their choice selections” (The State Journal, August 30, 1884).  The Philomathean Quartette consisted of Daniel Bratton, Edward Cunningham, John H. Murray, and Augustus “Stoney” Stewart, all members of the African-American Philomathean Club of Harrisburg.

The Philomathean Club of Harrisburg:  A “Local Item” in the December 15, 1883 issue of The State Journal, an African-American newspaper published in Harrisburg, notes:  “The Philomatheans are becoming quite popular.”  Yet little information could be found on this club.  It was probably like other Philomathean organizations of the time.  Philomathean means “lover of learning,” and Philomathean clubs or societies were usually organized to promote mutual improvement through the study of literature, music and the arts.  In the 1880’s through the 1920’s, it seems the aim of these organizations was to keep abreast with current topics, especially the problems of the day, as well as to enjoy the social aspects of club life.  They offered a varied program of literary readings, musical programs, presentations of civic importance, travelogues, and outings to theater presentations and concerts.  (Most of the modern Philomathean groups seem to be literary and debate societies associated with colleges and schools.)  Two other members of the Harrisburg club were mentioned in The State Journal, Doc Abel and Taylor Howard.  It is unknown whether both men and women belonged to this organization.

While at Cold Spring that summer, the four musicians of the Philomathean Quartette were probably employed in other positions as well.  A Harrisburg Telegraph article (July 31, 1888) relates how the guests at Cold Spring were entertained “by enjoyable music by the little orchestra of waiters, interspersed with amusing plantation songs and dances.”  Several articles from the 1880’s show having a house band made up of talented members of the kitchen staff was not uncommon in the better hotels, including the Lochiel Hotel and the United States Hotel in Harrisburg.  It may be the reason the Philomathean Quartette came to Cold Spring.  John Murray was head waiter at the Lochiel Hotel, which was owned by George W. Hunter, who also was one of the co-owners of the Cold Spring Hotel during the 1880’s.  Some of Murray’s relatives, as well as Augustus Stewart’s, also were employed at the Lochiel Hotel.  So perhaps all four men were employed as waiters while at Cold Spring, or worked in some of the other positions necessary for running a popular summer resort.

Information gleaned from newspaper articles and other sources reveals the following about the four members of the Philomathean Quartette around the time of their employment at Cold Spring:

Augustus Stewart was 22 years old and married Mollie Robinson during the year following his summer at Cold Spring.  He was employed as a stable hand for several years (his father was a hostler and coachman, a position Augustus would eventually hold for nearly 20 years).  Little was found about Augustus around 1884; however, both he and his wife were active in many African-American civic, fraternal and social organizations in the early 1900’s.  They were included among the more prominent men and women of Harrisburg.

John H. Murray was 29 years old, married (to Sarah Matilda Thompson in 1881), and may have had a child.  He was head waiter at the Lochiel Hotel, a member of  the African-American Young Republicans Club (its first president when organized in 1878), an officer of the Brotherly Love Lodge, No. 896, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, and a member of the Excelsior Cornet Band.

Records suggest Edward Cunningham was about 28 years old and married.  He was “a teacher of stringed instruments” and, as a member of the Hod Carriers’Association, was most likely employed as a hod carrier.  A hod carrier is “a laborer employed in carrying supplies to bricklayers, stonemasons, cement finishers, or plasterers on the job” (Merriam-Webster.com).  He is simply listed as a laborer in the Harrisburg city directories from 1884 to 1897.  Edward was a member of the Olympic (Baseball) Club of Harrisburg and a member of the Brotherly Love Lodge, No. 896, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows.

Daniel Bratton (or Brotton; it’s spelled both ways in the newspapers) remains a mystery.  Nothing could be found on him other than he was referred to as “Prof. Bratton,” and he was the leader of the Philomathean Glee Club when it was first organized by the Philomathean Club in early 1884.  He could not be located in the 1880 census or any available city directory.

It is hoped new sources will be found that will shed more light on the Philomathean Club of Harrisburg and the Philomathean Quartette.

Ad showing a local orchestra to accompany an excursion
 to Cold Spring sponsored by a local band
Lebanon Daily News (Lebanon, PA) - September 15, 1883

Feel free to leave comments, ask questions, share information and photos on the subject of Cold Spring.  Contact us at email.

Visitors to Cold Spring Index

During the nearly fifty year period that a large hotel stood on the site (1850-1900), thousands of people visited Cold Spring as guests at the hotel, for short and extended stays, as day-trippers, there for pleasure and business, and as passersby, like hunters stopping for a cold drink of spring water or a quick meal.  Cold Spring reportedly attracted visitors from nearby towns and cities like Harrisburg, Lebanon, Pottsville and Reading, and more distant places like Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York City, and even farther away.  These visitors were composed of: wealthy and socially prominent people, as well as those of less substantial means; the young and the old; individuals, couples, families and groups.  They arrived by train, carriage, wagon, horse, foot, and bicycle.  They came to Cold Spring for many reasons, for rest and relaxation, for business meetings and social events, to benefit from the spring waters, and to enjoy the many pleasurable activities and amusements available to visitors.

We always thought how wonderful, how interesting and informative it would be, if a Cold Spring hotel register would be found.  Unfortunately, no known registers exist, the latest possibly burned in the September 1900 fire that destroyed the hotel buildings.  It is possible – and we hope so – that a hotel register one day may be discovered hidden away in a dusty attic of a family member of one of the hotel proprietors.

Since the likelihood of such a discovery is slight, we decided to peruse the numerous Cold Spring-related newspaper articles and other research we’ve accumulated over the past twenty years or so, in order to compile a list of a good many of the people who visited the Cold Spring Hotel and Summer Resort site from 1850 through the end of the year 1900.  We decided to tackle this project to learn more about the people who visited Cold Spring, and for the fun of enabling others to find out if any of their relatives might have visited Cold Spring.

Check out the Visitors to Cold Spring Index  and let us know if you’re related to anyone listed!

Update notices for the index will be posted on Twitter, Facebook and this blog.

Feel free to leave comments, ask questions, share information and photos on the subject of Cold Spring.  Contact us at email.

One Thing: Cold Spring

One thing my husband Jim and I have in common is a passion for learning everything possible about the history of Cold Spring.  In the past twenty or so years, we’ve done a lot of research, individually (before we were married) and together, and have come to realize that exploring the history of Cold Spring is likely to be a lifelong ambition.  We’ve found that the more we learn, the more questions we have; and the search for answers, although sometimes tedious and frustrating, is mostly enjoyable.  Researching the history of Cold Spring is like a treasure hunt for the many pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle.  We also have fun sharing the interesting stories and historical facts we’ve uncovered with others who want to know more about Cold Spring.  So when my daughter Brandy asked me if I would like to help with the Stony Valley Heritage blog, my reply was yes.
 

My blog entries will be about one thing:  Cold Spring.

We are greatly appreciative of the many people who over the years have shared with us their knowledge, photos, memories and other items relating to Cold Spring, thus adding much to our research and more to share with you.  Tell us what you’d like to know about Cold Spring at email.

Click here for a brief history of Cold Spring.  A more detailed history can be found in the book Cold Spring Hotel Site: Uncovering its Layers of History (2005), co-written by Jim C. Logan and Jim M. Logan.  Copies are available at the online store.  Copies can be borrowed or read at the public libraries in Annville, Lebanon, Fredericksburg, Myerstown, Palmyra, Tower City, and the State Library in Harrisburg; as well as these historical societies:  Berks County, Dauphin-Middle Paxton, Lancaster County, Lebanon County, Pinegrove, and Schuylkill County.