Maple Sugar House
When Dorothea Waters Moran donated her farm to the town of Sutton in 1974, she wanted the farm to become a living history education center so that people could visit her farm and touch, smell, and see how old New England farms contributed to our America. Having a sugar house was an integral part of that living history so that visitors could view the sugar making process. Although they eventually made maple syrup, initially most maple sap was boiled down to maple sugar, which was easier for colonists to store and trade. Maple syrup was an essential sweetener in early American households, because it was readily available and more affordable than refined sugar imported from the Caribbean. Construction of the sugar house took place during 2005 and began with a generous donation from Attorney Richard Rafferty. The sugaring equipment was donated by Janice and Dale Wentworth of North Brookfield. Many local craftspeople worked to complete the building which was dedicated on October 2, 2005. The Sugar House is located behind the Darling Barn along a wooded path
A Brief History of Maple Syrup
Native Americans used the sap from the maple tree for many purposes. Usually during the time of the “Sap Moon” they would move their families into a spot in the forest where there were many sugar maple trees and camp there while the maple sap flowed. They would make a V shaped slash in the trunk of the tree and collect the sap in some sort of a container, probably made from a hollowed-out log or of clay. Then they dropped hot rocks into the containers to boil away the water from their sap. In those early days sap was boiled down and formed into dry maple sugar that could be stored and used throughout the year. Native Americans used the sugar as gifts, for trading, to mix with grains and berries and bear fat, and in their tea. During the summer a special drink was made of maple sugar dissolved in water.
Early settlers to New England learned how to make maple sugar from the Native Americans in the same way that they had, by making a V slash in the tree with an ax to allow the sap to run. Modern maple sap harvesters use a small drill to make a half inch hole in the tree and into the hole place a small spill or spile which allows the sap to run out. The spiles are made from a softwood twig with the center pushed out to leave a hollow wooden tube. Sap was gathered in wooden buckets and boiled down in large iron kettles hanging over an open fire. As the syrup thickened in one kettle it was ladled into the next kettle and fresh sap placed in the first. When it was finally thick enough after going from kettle to kettle, the sugar was stirred until it became crystallized and was then poured into wooden molds. The blocks of maple sugar that were made could be broken up or shaved off for use during the year whenever it was needed.
Making maple sugar is not very difficult but it takes a long time. Once the sap begins to boil it must be stirred continuously so that it will not burn. It was very valuable and necessary for the household. When the men became busy with other chores, the women often took over the sap stirring duties, stirring the sap throughout the day and well into the night.
