What's Cooking in Our Kettles?

WHAT IS IT WEDNESDAY/ JULY 8 2020

Welcome back everyone! For this week's interesting artifact we are going to be looking at our Potash Kettles!

Personally, we didn’t know a lot about these unique kettles that stand today in the forest on a path behind the Log Cabin here at O’Hara, other than that they are sometimes used for maple syrup boiling. We talked with Dave Little, one of our very dedicated volunteers, and learned a lot about their use and the connection to the early settlers, which we wanted to share with you!

The production and sale of potash was the earliest means settlers had to get some cash for basic necessities.

While pine logs were used in building construction, hardwood cut in land clearing was pushed into large piles and burned. When the ashes cooled, they were stored away from the rain. Then they were put in some sort of hollowed-out wooden perforated trough. Hot water was repeatedly poured over the ashes. The liquid draining through the perforations became a dark brown lye. The lye was boiled for hours in a large cast iron cauldron, known as a potash kettle, until it became very thick, ladled into a metal container, and, when cool, into large wooden barrels for shipment.

Three acres of hardwood would provide ashes for one barrel of potash.

There was great demand on the British market for potash for bleaching fabrics, tanning leather, and production of soap and glass.

Potash shipments reached their peak around 1850. Discovery of potash mineral deposits in Germany in 1861 rendered potash from ashes unprofitable.

The large barrels holding 500 pounds of potash would bring $80-$100 on the Montreal market. A soap factory in Belleville would pay $30 a barrel. But getting it to market by oxen over nearly-impassible trails must have been a lengthy, arduous undertaking!

As you can see there is quite the history behind these kettles! They are a great stopping point on a trail walk here at O’Hara and we highly recommend stopping by them! Thats all for today, come back tomorrow to learn about another of the many interesting O’Hara family members!