Tea time

The McFarland House was the home of John McFarland and his descendants for about 140 years. The house played an important role during the War of 1812, serving as a hospital, military headquarters, and a staging ground for the British attack on the American side of the Niagara in late 1813. Today this historic site highlights its involvement in the war but also highlights, as well as serves, tea.

Tea was very important during the early 1800s and it was very expensive. Many houses, including the McFarland House, had a tea caddy for storing tea. These boxes were kept under lock by the lady of the house in order to protect the tea from sneaky servants or dishonest children. Inside the caddy there were two sides, one side for fresh tea and the other for used tea. Since tea was expensive, it was not uncommon to use tea leaves up to three times.

 

McFarland House Parlour

Having tea allowed people to highlight their social standing. When family members or guests came over tea was often served. A family member or guest could know how important they were by the tea they were served. If you were served fresh tea then you were held in high regard, but if you were served used tea then you were not as important.  

One problem with tea in the 1800s was that many counterfeit tea leaves appeared. It was not uncommon for people to take used tea leaves and dye them with gunpowder, lead or coal in order to make them appear fresh. The black market was rife with counterfeit tea, which meant people had to be vigilant about where their tea leaves came from.

If you want to see how important tea was during the 1800s, you can visit McFarland House this Sunday for Mother’s Day. The McFarland House only serves good fresh tea; you won’t have to worry about used tea leaves. Click here for more information about this event.

A soldier’s Christmas

For British soldiers in the 1800s Christmas was seen as a special time of year for the men to celebrate.

For regular soldiers in the British Army, Christmas Day was treated as a Sunday. This meant that most men had the day off and religious services were held. Most soldiers saw Christmas as a special day and attempted to prepare for its celebration. Depending on where a soldier was stationed, many would attempt to accumulate more food for Christmas Day in order to hold a special feast. Many took the opportunity to celebrate the day with their fellow soldiers.

McFarland House plaque

Another advantage to Christmas Day was that men were issued new uniforms. All soldiers in the British Army received new clothing once a year on Christmas Day as a gift from the king. Unfortunately, not everyone received a Christmas gift on time. Do to supply problems, many soldiers did not receive their new uniforms on time and were forced to make do with what they had during the long winters in Upper Canada.

This weekend you and your family can experience Christmas in the 1800s by visiting McFarland House and the Laura Secord Homestead for their annual Christmas events. Also, don’t forget to head to Fort Erie on Saturday for their annual Flames across the Niagara event. 

Cold indifference to Christmas

Christmas in 1812 was much different than today. Christmas was treated as a significant day to those living in British North America, but it did not have much pomp and ceremony as today.

Kissing under the mistletoe

Most British subjects would celebrate the Christmas holiday with simple decorations along with dinner and a church service. However, it appears that most Upper Canadians did not treat Christmas as a major event. One English immigrant to Upper Canada in the 1820s observed: “I was much surprised at the cold indifference which most people showed in their observance of Christmas day - with the exception of the then few residing English families, the church was scantily attended.”

In the United States similar attitudes prevailed in certain areas. In the nation’s capital, it was not uncommon for politicians to be working throughout the holidays and even sessions of Congress were held on Christmas Day. It wasn’t until much later that the U.S. government recognized Christmas as a national holiday.

In many ways Christmas during the early 1800s was similar to today in that most families choose to celebrate with their families.

For anyone looking to add some 1812 themed activities to their Christmas holidays, you can visit OldFort Erie and McFarland House, to name a few, for their annual Christmas event this weekend.