The Vidette-Messenger Centennial EditionThe 1936 special edition celebrating Porter County's centennial year . . . .
The following article has been transcribed from the August 18, 1936, issue of The Vidette-Messenger, published in Valparaiso, Indiana. This particular special edition focuses on Porter County's centennial celebration and contains a 94-page compendium of Porter County history up to that time.
Return to the index of articles from The Vidette-Messenger's Porter County Centennial special edition.
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso,
Porter County, Indiana; August 18, 1936; Volume 10, Section 4, Page 14.
Those Old Time 'Donation Parties' Were Great Events And Kept the Pastor Going
(BY MABEL BENNEY)
---- [illegible word] services and donation parties were great social
institutions in the early days. Someone's many roomed home was open for the
occasion. The ladies of the particular church brought culinary triumphs, cakes,
pies, doughnuts, cookies, and sandwiches, even plates of cold chicken and ham
for refreshments, which were served to all at the same time. A plate placed
conveniently near the door received the collections as people entered, so there
was little embarrassment for a large family or one with little to give.
Rev. Robert Beer lived most of the twenty years of his ministry in the house at
the corner of Washington and Erie streets, now occupied by C. J. Spindler. The
annual donation party there was one of the social events of the years. Mr. Beer
was a most genial, kindly man, his wife a beautiful fun loving, little woman,
who the children all adored. There was a a large family of sons and daughters.
The minister's small salary was supposed to be considerably augmented by the
donation party. Early in the morning of the day of the part a load of wood from
the Washington Bartholomew farm north of town, would be delivered. A little
later a dressed hog and perhaps a dozen live chickens would come from Lewis
Robbins, farther out, supplemented by crocks of lard and rolls of butter, with
canned fruit, jars of apple butter, and sacks of potatoes, they made a pile in
the shed back of the house that looked inexhaustible. George Buel and Thomas
Miller sent baskets of groceries from their stores and A. V. Bartholomew often a
bolt of muslin. The professional men of the congregation brought gifts of cash
when the people assembled for the party.
And what a party it was! Nearly every woman had something to wear. Any guests
from the homes were introduced all around. Distinguished visitors made short
speeches. There was music and speaking, a brief prayer by the pastor before the
supper. The children were given the study, a large upper room in which to play.
When it was time for the ladies to serve, everyone was seated, the older people
in chairs, the younger on the floor, the children three abreast on the stairs.
Comments on the cakes and exchange of recipes went on below stairs. The children
watched for the passing of a mother or aunt and got a helping of everything but
coffee. Mrs. Beer would hurry through, always giving the children a smile and
asking "Have the doughnuts or the cookies or the chocolate cake been passed to
you?"
As proof of the elegance of these affairs, I quote an account of one held in the
home of Rev. S. C. Logan in the large brick house he built, still standing, just
south of the new high school. It is from the pen of R. A. Cameron in the
Valparaiso Republic, Reb. 5, 1863. "We are much gratified at the success of the
donation at Rev. Mr. Logan's Tuesday evening last. His house was fairly packed
full of his friends. The receipts in money were exceedingly gratifying,
amounting to $113 cash. The affair was highly pleasing and entertaining, and so
far as we have heard expressed everyone enjoyed himself amazingly. The viands
that were served would highly complement the best caterer in the land. The music
the groups here and there in each room conversing, some angrily disputing in
fund, imparted to the scene a high degree of social enjoyment."
Whether the circumstance I am about to relate ended these festal gathering I do
not know. I remember no other donation parties after this unfortunate even. All
the usual preliminaries for the donation party at the parsonage had been
attended to and the girls in the upper grades were exchanging confidences
concerning the festivity, when the boys announced that they had other plans for
the evening out at Lembke's pasture, now Forest Park. "Run Sheep Run," a
glorified form of hide and seek, they often indulged in among the hazel brush in
the ravines.
The church people and their daughters assembled at the parsonage, where there
was the usual entertainment. Angel food cake was a new delicacy and several
ladies had brought one to the donation party along with other delicacies, also
Mr. Charles Dresser, son-in-law of Mrs. Jackson Buel, had sent a five gallon can
of ice cream. The cakes were in the pantry, the ice cream in the wood shed. At
the time to serve all the cakes and the ice cream had disappeared. Mrs. Beer had
left the window to the pantry unlocked. Nothing unusual since most of the people
never locked their front doors at night.
The absence of the boys, even the son of the family, was a coincidence hard to
explain. The freezer and several cake tins were found later on the wide porch of
the school house, which stood where the Central School now stands. But no boy
ever incriminated himself or his pals with regard to this disappearance of the
food. Hot discussion among the firls and also among the parents threatened to
disrupt the peace. The minister requested the congregation to drop the subject
and the great festivity of the year became a thing of the past.
Article transcribed by Steven R. Shook