Deacon Porter's Hat & Smith Fudge notes

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   I'm back from Massachusetts...I rode past the Yiddish book center at Hampshire College.  Forgot that was there.

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DEACON PORTER'S HAT (continued)

   Andrew Wood Porter, 1795-1877.
   Mount Holyoke, founded 1837.
   From the WASHINGTON POST, 12 December 1954:

_Here is a Yankee Yummy_
   Ever since 1837, this pudding has been a favorite dessert with the students at Mount Holyoke....

   From MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE NEWS, 12-3-75:

   In the 1880's, a cylindrical steamed pudding which was often served at the College was named by the students for the Deacon's legendary headgear.  Since then, Deacon Porter's Hat has been traditionally served on special occasions at Mount Holyoke and by alumnae groups around the nation.

   From the Smith Family Papers, Clara E. Smith (1885):

10-3-83  Miss Blanchard does not wish girls to dance "round dances" Deacon Porters Hat.

(So it appears that the dish was eaten much earlier, but named about 1883, after his death--ed.)

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SMITH FUDGE

   I'd been to the Smith College archives a few years before, researching 1890s "basket ball" and 1890s "ivy" songs and orations (for "Ivy League").  I didn't research food at that time.
   Not much is here.  The faculty cookbooks have nothing surprising.  No "fudge" found in the yearbooks, which date from 1897.
   "Smith College Fudge" recipes from Baker's Chocolate are in the file, but no dates are attached.

CHOCOLATE AND COCOA RECIPES by Miss Parloa and
HOME MADE CANDY RECIPES by Mrs. Janet McKenzie Hill
Compliments of Walter Baker & Co., Ltd.
(The books date from 1909 and 1916)

SIX TABLETS
BAKER'S CARACAS SWEET CHOCOLATE TABLETS
Made by Walter Baker & Co., Ltd.
Dorchester, Mass.
Established 1780
Net Weight 1 1/4 ounces
("SMITH COLLEGE FUDGE" recipe is on the box.  Baker's was bought by General Foods, which merged into Kraft.  I'll visit Kraft one of these days; Andrew Smith surely beat me to it--ed.)