We have come a long way from percolating a pot of coffee on the wood-burning stove to popping a K-Cup pack into the Keuring. Imagine having to grind the coffee beans, to pump water from the well, to stoke the fire in the stove, and then having to wait for the water in the pot to boil and percolate over the grounds to make your morning cup of Joe! We are far too impatient nowadays.
But, if you would like to see all that it took to make a simple pot of coffee 100 years ago, why not come to Clermont’s own Historic Village Museum. The Village is conveniently located at 490 West Ave. on the shores of beautiful Lake Minneola and not far from Clermont’s historic downtown shopping district. The Village is open every Friday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm and every Saturday & Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Admission to the Village is always free but a donation of $3.00 per person is requested.
While you are at the Village you can see the beautiful wood burning stove and the porcelain coffee pot & cup in the picture above in the 1895 home of James and Sallie Townsend as well as a water pump and a coffee grinder in the stately 1883 Kern Home. You will also get to see many other kitchen utensils such as Mason jars, rolling pins, a butter press, irons that were heated on the stove, and much, much more. We can become complacent and take all our modern conveniences for granted. A trip down memory lane enables us to appreciate just how lucky we are and how far we have come in such a relatively short time.
If you are interested in the history of Clermont or in history in general, why don’t you consider joining the Clermont Historical Society? Membership is just $25.00 per person or $35.00 for a couple annually. Visit our Facebook page to see what is happening at the Village or attend one of our monthly meetings. Meetings are held on the second Monday of each month in the Train Depot at the Village. The board meeting (open to the public) is at 6:00 pm followed by a presentation at 7:00 pm. Our next meeting will be March 9th.
