Overview This local history book includes nearly 100 historic Southport recipes and tells the life stories of 54 ladies who contributed their recipes to a 1907 church cookbook. Ruth Reichl, editor of The Modern Library Food Series, notes: "that to fully appreciate an historical cookbook, the challenge is not just to cook the recipes, but to read through the recipes to the lives behind them". That is exactly what this book provides...a look at the lives behind the recipes. As a bonus, the book also includes each of the recipes in the original cookbook, which was published by the St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Southport, NC in 1907. Following the practice of that time, many of the ladies identified themselves by their husbands' first name or initials. This reminded me of my grandmother who lived to be 99 years old. She outlived my grandfather by nearly 60 years, however she always gave her name as Mrs. Charles R. Struble. While I always respected this tradition, I often thought that people should know her name (Beatrice Gay). I feel the same way about the ladies profiled in Hominy Muffins and Oyster Pie. The ladies of Southport, like my grandmother, are the grandmothers and mothers of the generation that we often call the "Greatest Generation." By this fact alone these ladies deserve to be known and their stories told! Simple artifacts like cookbooks can tell us a lot about the history and ideas of the people who produced them. Recipes for hominy muffins and oyster pie are not a surprise in a North Carolina cookbook. However, I was surprised that the original cookbook was dated "Xmas 1907." I think another surprise is the quote at the end of the original cookbook "The fish lead a pleasant life...they drink when they like." I imagine that placing either reference in a church cookbook today would spark great concern and discussion. Sample Profiles Agnes Hughes Cravens. She was an Irish immigrant who went from living in a boarding house in Kansas City in 1900 to living two blocks from Central Park in NYC in 1925. In 1907, she lived in Southport with her husband, Lanier Cravens, who was stationed at Fort Caswell. While at Fort Caswell, First Lieutenant Cravens was court marshalled and found guilty of a payroll violation. In 1908, his sentence was commuted and his rank restored by President Theodore Roosevelt. See pages 41 and 42. Frances Price Davis. At the end of the War Between the States, a family story tells of Frances' encounter with a Northern officer. When the officer came to the Price home looking for Frances' older brother, young Frances bravely told the officer that her brother had done nothing wrong. She further suggested, in the politest manner possible, that the officer should kindly leave and not bother her brother again. See pages 43-44.
About the Author: Bob Surridge and his wife, Carole, are residents of Southport, North Carolina. Dr. Surridge worked for 30 plus years at The Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg as an administrator and faculty member. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Southport Historical Society. He is an avid kayaker and works as a tour guide for the Adventure Kayak Company in Southport. He is also the author of "Butter Size of Turkey Egg", which includes over 450 historic recipes from Northeastern Pennsylvania. Plus, profile information about the 75 ladies who contributed and compiled the recipes in 1907.