WomanOfOrlandPark_v4_flippingBook

HOUSE AND HOME This display showcases tools used and examines life in the early days of Orland Park (1830s-1850s). The items bring to light the early female settlers’ work in the fields with their husbands as well as in the home. The items would have been used by Mary Bisenius Hostert (1860-1937) (wife of Nicholas Hostert [1853-1931], the nephew of Jacob and Bernard Hostert, who built the Hostert Cabins). The right side of the bottom shelf highlights an important invention during this time period: irons with wooden handles instead of metal ones. In the 19th century, the standard clothes iron had a metal handle, weighed about 5-10 pounds, and had to be heated on a stove. The metal handle became so hot that a cloth mitt or rag was necessary to prevent burns. In 1870, Mary Florence Potts (1850-1922) received her first patent for a clothes iron with a wooden handle. Potts’ wooden handle could be detached while the iron heated up on the stove. Two examples of Potts’ irons are displayed in the cabinet. ARTIFACTS IN THIS CABINET TOP SHELF (LEFT TO RIGHT): • Handmade potato masher and butter paddle, c. 1850s • Wilcox Meridian silver-plated teapot and sugar bowl, late 1800s

BOTTOM SHELF (LEFT TO RIGHT): • Cast iron pot and ladle, c. 1850-1900 • Black iron sad iron, c. 1850s

• Mrs. Potts’ Cold Handle Sad Iron, c. 1889-1905 (In the early 1800s, the word “sad” meant “heavy.” The average weight was about 15 pounds.) • Mrs. Pott’s Sad Iron with Removable Wooden Handle, c. 1889-1890