Maple Sugar Sunday at the Miller-Cory House in Westfield

One of the most important seasonal tasks of farm life in colonial days was sugar making in the maple woods.  The museum’s program features a presentation on the entire process of “maple sugaring,” from an explanation of how the sap rises and flows, to how syrup and sugar are ultimately made from the sap. Also featured is a demonstration of 18th century open-hearth cooking with authentic kitchen tools and recipes highlighting maple syrup.  (Please note that no tree will actually be tapped.)  Tours of the restored, 1740 farmhouse are included.

Built in 1740, the Miller-Cory House stands on the “road to the mountains” in the West Fields of Elizabeth. While the Millers and the Corys were rural farmers, they knew some degree of sophistication, for the West Fields were at the crossroads of colonial America on the Old York Road, the main road between New York from Philadelphia. Life was uniquely influenced then, even as it is today, by a location between the two major cities.

Today, the Miller Cory House is a nationally recognized “living museum.” On each open Sunday, visitors are introduced to an endless variety of colonial skills as trained artisans recreate the everyday life, the crafts, and the tasks of the 18th and early 19th Century farm Family.

Famous for their appearance in Craig Claiborne’s column in the New York Times and in four nationally distributed magazines, the cooks at the Miller-Cory House demonstrate the exacting art of food preparation on the open hearth.

This program is appropriate for children. Admission is $3.00 for adults and children 13 and older, $2.00 for children ages 3 to 12, and free under age 3.

Miller-Cory House Museum is located at 614 Mountain Avenue in Westfield.