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State park museum receives artifact

Photo provided This early wafer iron, now on display at the Blennerhassett Museum, has a fancy motif which showcases the skills of early American blacksmiths. Margaret Blennerhassett could make a delicious, delicate dessert for Island guests with the wafer iron like this. 

PARKERSBURG — A piece of period cookery acquired for the the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park will be put on display now at the museum and in the Summer Kitchen on the island next summer.

Visitors will be able to see a late 1700s to early 1800’s decorative wafer iron, which showcases the handmade craftsmanship of blacksmiths in early America.

The wafer iron can be seen now as part of a new exhibit at the Blennerhassett Museum of Regional History in downtown Parkersburg, according to a press release from Dick and Martha Hartley, local food historians and Blennerhassett volunteer educators.

The couple has written two early Western Virginia foodways books, “The Frontier Table” and “Serving Up History.”

“First the Wafer – Then the Waffle” is the focus of the new exhibit. It has been documented in a letter written by Margaret Blennerhassett to her husband Harman which is in the Blennerhassett Papers Collection that she had a wafer iron, the Hartleys said.

In addition to the recently acquired wafer iron, the exhibit will also display a waffle iron that is part of the museum’s collection so people can see the similarities and differences.

The wafer dates back to medieval times while the waffle dates back to the Middle Ages, the Hartleys said. Wafers were used a lot in religious ceremonies and were thin and crisp. Waffles were thicker, puffier, sweeter and are now more associated with breakfast.

Many of the differences are highlighted in the exhibit.

The exhibit also highlights Margaret Blennerhassett’s culinary skills.

“Many people think of her as a socialite who put on dinner parties and so on,” Martha Hartley said. “She was really a skilled cook, even though she had staff to do it. She actually taught some classes in fine cooking.”

The early wafer iron with its fancy scrolled motif was recently purchased by the Blennerhassett Historical Foundation.

“This just one of the many ways that this Foundation is ‘Preserving the Past’ as well as ‘Building the Future’ of Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park,” said Foundation President Robin Stemple. “We, the Foundation, are excited about some opportunities that we are now working on to improve the Park.”

What is the difference between a wafer and a waffle and the irons that baked them for the Blennerhassetts, the Hartleys proposed. Visitors can explore the long history of both of these food items and their cooking implements.

The museum already had a waffle iron in its collection and it will be part of the exhibit in addition to the recently acquired wafer iron. People can see a faux food plate of both the wafer and the waffle that these two irons made.

Visitors will learn how these foods were cooked using the kitchen fireplace and served while the Blennerhassetts Family lived on the Island. They will also learn what responsibilities and expertise Mrs. Blennerhassett had in this culinary domain.

“Come and see this new display and found out these things,” Park Superintendent Craig Pyles said, adding the Hartleys created the exhibit.

“Take home a historic recipe for the wafer and the waffle that have been adapted for your modern kitchen,” said the Hartleys in their release. “It’s your opportunity to savor the flavors of history.”

The Wafer & Waffle Exhibit is on display at the Blennerhassett Museum which is open from 11 a.m. till 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday during the winter months. The museum is located at 137 Juliana St. in downtown Parkersburg.

Stemple encourages the public to help share the Blennerhassett history for years to come by becoming community members of the Foundation’s new Blennerhassett Society. For more information, people can check the website at theblennerhasettfoundation.com.

The state park is always looking for volunteers to help at the museum and on the island. For more information, call 304-420-4800.

Starting at $3.92/week.

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