Chase & Sanborn coffee was first produced in Boston in 1862 and became a New England favorite. It was the first nationally distributed coffee, pioneering roasted coffee in sealed metal tins.
This column covers many beverages, whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, hot or iced, and homebrewed or store-bought, that locals enjoyed before the 1930s.
As they
couldn't always import the hard liquors they wanted, early settlers began
producing their own spirits. This seasonal industry offered a way to preserve
food into a highly portable beverage. Grains or fruit distilled into liquor
created a product that improved in quality and value over time, and that was
protected from vermin and spoilage.
Before the
growth of the temperance movement, alcoholic beverages were widely used, with
men being the most frequent users.
Frederick Well, writing in the histories of Newbury and Ryegate,
describes local attitudes. “Everyone, practically, drank; only here and there
was a man who did not drink at all.”
Liquor was
present at most gatherings, including town meetings, militia musters, weddings,
funerals, and even court sessions.
In 1820, the
Vermont census listed 260 small distilleries, seven of which were in Peacham.
These were usually farmer-operated. Until 1852, when it became illegal, people
widely produced inexpensive corn or rye whiskey and “frequently used it as a
form of currency or for barter.”
Local
taverns offered whiskey along with other liquors. Bradford’s Capt. William
Trotter included a whiskey distiller among his several enterprises. In 1829,
Danville's North Star featured an advertisement for seven hundred gallons of
good whiskey at 25 cents per gallon.
In colonial
times and the early Republic, rum, made from Caribbean molasses, was widely
available, especially along coastal New Hampshire. Rum was said to be provided
for every building project, churches included.
Wells wrote
that the rough toil of earlier times justified this use. “Their vigorous frames
could readily withstand the effects of the stimulants.” There must have been a
lot of rough toil in Topsham, for, in 1814, 78 barrels of rum were sold.
As early as
1793, advertisements called for local potatoes and wild juniper berries needed
for gin distillation. In 1805, a Woodstock distillery used 90,000 bushels of
rye annually to produce about 2,000 barrels of gin.
In 1811, a
local newspaper reported that a gin distillery in Peacham was destroyed by
fire. The paper went on to “reassure readers not to worry as there were a
number of stills still in operation.”
Other
locally produced spirits were metheglin and spruce beer. The former was a honey
wine and “it was said that after drinking only one glass of the dark alcohol
made from honey, yeast, and water, our Vermont ancestors could hear the bees
buzz.”
Spruce beer
was an “agreeable and wholesome liquor.” In 1806, several Vermont newspapers
carried a recipe that included spruce essence, molasses, and yeast or beer
grounds to promote fermentation.
Vermonters
used local apples, berries, and fruit to create brandies and fruit wines. Dandelion wine served as both a refreshment
and a Spring tonic.
Nearly every
rural homestead had an apple orchard, and pressing cider was an annual ritual.
Barrels of cider in the cellar were normal, and fermentation created hard
cider. In 1834, it was reported that at political events “hard cider flowed as
freely as water.” Applejack was an even
more potent product created from distilled hard cider.
In the early
19th century, local breweries and family farm kitchens produced beer. In many
cases, people treated it as “a source of calories, vitamins, and energy food.”
Taverns often offered beer of their own making and mixed it with rum and sugar
to make flip.
The first
large-scale brewery opened in Burlington around 1810, and by 1840 it was
producing 12,800 gallons of beer. To meet the growing demand, Vermont farmers
throughout the state grew hops. By 1860, hop production had grown to 638,657
pounds.
In New
Hampshire, Portsmouth industrialist Frank Jones Brewery Company began
large-scale ale production in 1859 and, over the next 60 years, shipped the
product across New England.
The growing
temperance movement against the consumption of alcohol began to pose a serious
challenge to the production and sale of these beverages. Meanwhile, improved
transportation also increased competition from out-of-region producers.
As early as
the 1820s, local towns on both sides of the river had formed temperance
organizations. Large groups of citizens took oaths to avoid alcohol. In 1844,
Vermont created a local option law, and several local towns voted to abolish
local liquor sales. Vermont adopted a strong statewide prohibition in 1852,
followed by New Hampshire in 1855.
These laws
remained on the books until 1903. There is no doubt, however, that despite
these laws, liquor was manufactured and consumed in the area. Returning Civil War
veterans brought back Oh-Be-Joyful recipes and adapted them for local use.
Local newspapers confirmed the existence of home distilleries, cider mills, and
other illegal activities that met local demands.
The national
temperance movement reached a new height with the passage of the 18th
Amendment. When it took effect in 1920, it became illegal to manufacture or
sell alcoholic beverages in the United States.
This unsuccessful “Great Experiment” ended on December 5, 1933.
While many
locals continued to avoid alcohol consumption, these beverages continue to play
a significant role in the choices made by many others. More recently, both
Vermont and New Hampshire have seen an increase in small-scale craft alcohol
and beer production.
Of course,
alcohol was not the first beverage on the minds of the area’s earliest
settlers. Early local families relied on freshwater springs and shallow dug
wells for water for drinking and other needs. Springs were one of the most
decisive factors in determining a house site. They offered less risk of disease
than standing water.
Local
hillsides offered sweet spring water in great volumes. Local houses often had a
nearby spring house to protect the water source. People dug wells entirely by
hand to depths of up to 30 feet. Dowsing helped to locate water sources.
Although
there were cautions about drinking too much very cold water on very hot days,
those who were fortunate enough to have access to sweet water understood its
value.
Over time,
water was piped into the house for domestic use. Because home and farm sewage
threatened local wells and springs, the state tried to inform users of possible
contamination.
As villages
developed, taking water from and dumping sewage in the same small village lot
became problematic. In 1892, Bradford village created a village water system.
Well Rivers followed in 1896.
In the early
19th century, a number of communities prospered because of the “water-cure
movement.” It was believed that drinking
or bathing in mineral waters was beneficial. In 1782, mineral springs were
located in Newbury village, and in the next century, the Spring Hotel and the
Montebello House offered the waters as part of their attraction.
“Adam’s Ale”
was a nickname for drinking water, based on the tradition that Adam had only
water to drink in the Garden of Eden.
The term regained popularity during the temperance movement in the
1830s.
After
settlement, many families kept a “family cow.” Because raw milk spoiled
quickly, turning it into cheese or butter was a better use of the product. It was not until later in the 19th century,
with the rise of safer milk, that milk became a common beverage.
As villages
and towns grew, families were less likely to keep a milk cow. In the 1880s,
local creameries began delivering pasteurized milk in glass bottles. Milkmen
delivered milk by cart.
In 1909,
Woodsville’s Frank Willis charged 6 cents for a quart on his milk route. Each
community had at least one creamery. Hilltop Dairy of Bradford and North
Haverhill Creamery were two of them. In recognition of its importance, milk
became Vermont’s official beverage in 1983.
One
traditional Vermonters' cold drink was switchel. Made with water, vinegar,
ginger, and a sweetener such as maple syrup, this so-called “harvest drink”
helped cut the dust and heat of hayfield work.
In all types
of weather, tea was the beverage that many turned to. Because of the strong
British connection, colonists drank tea. British companies imported loose-leaf
black and green teas. The British Parliament's audacity to tax this staple
beverage helped foment the American Revolution.
What
followed were a number of “Liberty teas” brewed from chamomile, mints, and
other dried fruits and leaves. Drinking tea was a daily habit for many, and
“taking tea” became central to many social occasions. Hostesses served tea
using teapots and cups, some plain and others quite elaborate. Doing it correctly was a skill mothers passed
to daughters.
Iced tea was
introduced in the 1850s. In 1868, a Rutland newspaper suggested iced tea as an
alternative to lager or soda water.
Today, iced tea, sweetened or unsweetened, makes up the majority of tea
consumption.
In 1901, the individual serving tea bag was invented. During the 1920s, several tearooms opened in
the area. The Kettledrum in Fairlee and the Twinflower in South Newbury are two
examples.
Another beverage that gained popularity after
the British tea boycott was coffee. “What started as political rebellion became
a habit.” Previously, coffee houses were
operated in port cities to a clientele of hard-working laborers.
As coffee's
popularity grew, stores shifted from selling green coffee beans for home
roasting to ground beans. In 1847, Newbury’s Cargill’s Cheap and Cash Store
sold ground coffee for 10 cents per pound.
By the early
1870s, bagged coffee was sold locally. New England’s Chase & Sanborn Coffee
was one of the first major brands and began shipping coffee in cans in 1878. By
then, per capita coffee consumption had outpaced that of tea. The military
first introduced instant coffee during World War II.
Another hot
beverage was hot chocolate. As early as 1670, the Caribbean trade made cacao beans
available along the coast. People made the beverage by shaving hard,
unsweetened chocolate into hot milk, then sweetening it with sugar. During the
Revolution, it was another popular alternative to British tea.
In the 19th
century, hot chocolate was readily available, especially during colder months.
Some households served the beverage from a specialized chocolate pot, complete
with matching cups.
In the
1890s, drug stores such as Bradford’s Clarke’s Drug Store had soda fountains
that offered a variety of hot beverages, including hot chocolate.
Cold
beverages were also popular. Lemonade
was one example of fruit drinks. While lemons were available earlier in coastal
New Hampshire, they were not offered for sale in the local area until the 1820s
It was not
until the late 1800s that they became widely available for making lemonade.
News reports of social events often mentioned lemonade among the refreshments.
Hot lemon drinks were also promoted both for refreshment and medicinal uses.
Bubbles soon
rose to the top.
Carbonated
sodas far outsold other chilled beverages. Early carbonated water was sold as a
health tonic and digestive aid. In 1832, the soda fountain machine was
invented, and in the 1870s, local pharmacies began offering custom flavored
syrups with carbonated water.
In 1874,
W.E. Gage of Bradford offered a new Artie Soda Fountain offering four flavors.
Newbury’s druggist S.L. Swasey offered “first-class drinks at 5 cents each.
Hines root
beer and Moxie Soda were formulated in 1876, followed by Dr. Pepper (1885),
Coca-Cola (1886), and Pepsi-Cola (1893). Druggists created all five and
initially offered them as having health benefits.
The growing
market for non-intoxicating beverages led to the creation of regional bottling
companies. Conner Bottling Works in Newfield, NH, Eddy & Co. in
Brattleboro, and Granite City Bottling Works in Barre offered tonic beers,
ginger ales, and fruit drinks.
As national
beverage companies grew, local bottlers bought their concentrate. They then
sold the mixture to soda fountains and bottled it for individual sale in 6- and
later 12 oz bottles.
Coca-Cola
bottling companies operated across both states. In the 1930s, local stores and
filling stations had coolers with individual bottles for sale. By the mid-1940s, average per capita soft
drink consumption was estimated to exceed 10 gallons.
Perhaps as
you read this column, you are enjoying your favorite beverage. Whether it is
coffee, tea, a soft drink, or an alcoholic beverage, I hope that you can
appreciate that you are continuing a tradition that goes back decades or even
centuries.
