You don’t have to live long in Claremore to discover that old-fashioned church potlucks yield some of the finest meals ever eaten and vintage church cookbooks supply some of the choicest recipes ever produced. A 1914 cookbook, Choice Recipes Compiled by the Y.W.B.M. of the First Baptist Church, Claremore, Oklahoma, preserved in the Rogers County Historical Society’s archives at the Belvidere Mansion, is just such a culinary treasure. At least three copies of this fragile artifact are known to exist. Like yeast in freshly baking bread, two questions rise. Who created this magnanimous gastronomic gift for mankind, and why? September 10, 1914, a “Notice” was shared in The Claremore Progress. “The Y.W.B.M. takes this opportunity to thank the public for its loyal patronage during the past summer and desire to announce that at the Claremore Fair, to be held next week, they will have a stand at the entrance to the Grand Stand and there you will find cakes, candles, sandwiches, ice cream cones, etc. They also announce that their new Cook Books will be on sale at that place.” This announcement confirms that the industrious ladies of the Baptist church published a cookbook that year and were seeking patrons to buy it. Anyone who has embarked upon such a project knows that significant time and energy goes into collecting, organizing, typing, and publishing such a book. So what was the praiseworthy purpose behind this cookbook’s creation? Organized in February 1914, the mission of the Y.W.B.M. Society was made clear. The small profits made from cookbook sales and other fundraisers went toward the purchase of new church pews for the new Baptist church being built on Will Rogers Boulevard at Chickasaw Avenue (Claremore Messenger,4-24-1914; CP,8-6-1914). Choice Recipes, Compiled by the Y.W.B.M. Society of the First Baptist Church turned out to be well worth the asking price. Not only did the cookbook support the intended community cause, but as its name implies, the book was filled with scrumptious, tried-and-true, epicurean delights. The list of names of the women who donated their recipes reads like a Who’s Who of Claremore – Mrs. Mary Bayless-Angel Food Layer Cake, Mrs. M.B. Church-Rice Stew, Mrs. J.T. Wilson-Vegetable Soup, Mrs. T.W. Rice-Veal Cutlets and Baked Peppers, Mrs. Ernest Shanks-Cheese Balls, Mrs. Kaho-Pimento Salad, Mrs. C.T. McClellan-Pine-Apple Pie, Dr. Caroline Bassmann-Macaroni with Oysters and Green Tomato Chow-Chow. The recipes fill over 70 pages. Also interesting to note, blank pages were included in random sequence throughout the book, offering space to hand-font one’s own favorite recipes. There was even a section of “Things Good Housekeepers Should Know.” In 1914, everyone apparently understood how to measure “butter the size of an egg” or “butter the size of a walnut.” These ladies also knew that Apollinaris water was a naturally effervescent mineral water that must have tasted much more refreshing as an ingredient in punch than Claremore’s local, medicinal Radium Water. Advertisements hidden among the pages of the book highlight local 1914 businesses. The presence of The National Bank of Claremore; Wilson’s Hardware; M.B. Church’s Ladies Specialty Store; Theeson’s Bakery; The Sequoyah and Mason Hotels; Tanner’s Furniture; Dr. Kaho, Dentist; J. Herbert Moore, Undertaker; Streeter’s Tailor Shop, and Morris Haas’s Store communicate intriguing stories of their own. Researching the “scoop” about Choice Recipes Compiled by the Y.W.B.M. of the First Baptist Church, Claremore, Oklahoma, has been delightfully satisfying. The book gives a wonderful glimpse into the culinary arts of Claremore’s past. Perusing this popular collection of recipes affords many tasty tidbits of Claremore’s history. By Christa Rice, Claremore History Explorer This story was originally published in the Claremore Progress Weekend Edition, October 2022. |
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