The Durand-Hedden House recently recreated a look of what traditional home arts were like during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Located at 523 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood, The Durand-Hedden House was open for the public to witness cooking, spinning, and knitting; along with a pottery display.
Patty Chrisman, Durand-Hedden board member and a member of the Essex County Spinners demonstrated spinning on an antique spinning wheel in the historic parlor of the house.
Her interest in spinning began when she was 11- or 12-years-old. When she visited her grandmother, she was allowed to go up in the attic. She found a spinning wheel that belonged to her great-great grandmother and eventually learned how to spin in her early 20s.
“When people see it, it seems unusual to them,” she said. “The reality is all you do is put a twist in fiber to make it hold together. It’s a very basic skill. For people that are first getting started, it takes coordination. Once you get in your groove, it’s very meditative.”
People started using spinning wheels during the medieval era, according to Chrisman.
“It’s been around at least 20,000 years with a hand spindle,” she explained. “In rural areas, people still continue to spin. Appalachian people were still spinning up to the 20th century. It’s never completely stopped.”
As for the future of spinning, Chrisman thinks that people are really starting to realize the importance of working with their hands.
“In the past couple decades people have been picking up skills their mother skipped,” she explained. “It’s a return to the importance of crafting with your hands.”
Sitting across from Chrisman was Kari Capone, giving a knitting demo. Capone is the owner of The Spinning Hand, an online knitting store.
“I love knitting,” she said. It connects me with generations that came before; and teaching children, connecting the next generation.”
Another room in the Durand-Hedden House was dedicated to open hearth cooking, with an experienced open hearth cook.
A dish called “mush,” a type of cornmeal pudding or porridge, was made and sampled out to attendees.
David Ibrahim of Maplewood said, “It’s good. It’s different. Like a sweet porridge.”
His 11-year-old son, Sam, enjoyed it and described the pudding as “super sweet.”
The Country Store at the Durand-Hedden House was set up for children to roll dough and learn how to make butter.
Gail R. Safian has been president of the Durand-Hedden House since 2021 and describes it as “a historical house museum in Maplewood that has been putting on educational programs since 1980, when it first became a museum.”
Continuing, she added, “It was a private residence until 1971.”
In their programing, Safian explained that they explore local history, going back to the 17th century, when white settlers first came.
“We try to explore topics of interest to the diverse community we serve,” said Safian. “We offer a variety of programs throughout the year.”
To learn more about the Durand-Hedden House and their upcoming events, visit: https://www.durandhedden.org/.
Home arts at Durand-Hedden House added by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta on
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