Autism Awareness at HHH

Tuesday, April 2, is the sixth annual United Nations World Autism Awareness Day.  This specially designated day was first recognized in April of 2008 to increase the awareness of Autism in the world.  So what does this mean to the Hormel Historic Home?  That is a question I have been asked, and one I have asked of others, often over the past few months.

I have learned that the occurrence of Autism, a group of complex disorders of brain development, is 1 in 88 children; although that number is being tested and many feel the actual rate is much greater.  Autism appears 4 to 5 times more often in boys than in girls, and it occurs across all demographics and all races.  The cause is somewhat of a mystery but both genetic and environmental factors have been found to contribute to its diagnosis.  These are the basics and I am grateful to have a team of specially educated professionals working with me who are teaching me more everyday.

Throughout history the HHH has served the community in many ways, as the Hormels wanted when they gifted it to the YWCA in 1927.  Following is a description of a 3-part seminar held at the YWCA as reported in the March 14^th, 1929 paper:

“The interesting subject of ‘Heredity and Environment’ will be the first subject taken up by the child study class which begins Wednesday evening, April 3^rd(1929) at the YWCA.  Subjects in addition to the first one are ‘Bases of Action’, or the mechanism which controls human behavior, ‘The Beginnings of Nervousness’ and ‘Fear and Anger’, or how a child’s personality is affected by his emotions.”  The article states the class was open  “to all who are interested in the rights and the welfare of the child, whether he is a precious and sometimes a puzzling member of one’s own family, or one of the many who in the future may have a hand in shaping the affairs of the times of his own day.”

Although the classes described are not specifically talking about Autism, the idea of offering programs to help families and children is not a new one for the HHH.  And the fact that parents often need assistance in knowing how to raise their children is not unique to today.  I am proud that the Home continues to be utilized in a manner that can help people navigate the complexities of parenting.  For more information on the Autism Programming supported by the HHH please visit our website at www.hormelhistorichome.org.

Young John Hormel

After both the Hormels and the Deckers immigrated to Buffalo, New York they became part of the intimate German-American community.  John George Hormel and Susanna Wilhelmina Decker met there and were married on December 28, 1856-he was 26 and she, just 20.

I enjoyed reading of John and Susanna’s youth and characteristics in the following passages from In Quest of Quality by Richard Dougherty.

“When gold was struck in California in the forties, John George, then 19, was eager to head west to seek his fortune.  His parents (Christian and Elizabeth) dissuaded him, pointing out the uncertainties and dangers of the long and perilous journey across the wild and unfamiliar country to the Pacific coast.  He acquiesced to their wishes, but still felt a strong wanderlust…he managed to get a manual job on a freight and passenger boat that plied the Mississippi all the way to New Orleans.”

“These were impressionable times for John. Born with a good mind, he had, in addition, the advantage of having been brought up in a home founded on solid Christian principles.  It was a broadening time in his life.  After a period when he worked as a riverboat hand and at other temporary jobs, John returned to Buffalo and found steady employment in a large Buffalo tannery.  Starting at the bottom, he learned every job thoroughly; he also studied commercial bookkeeping at night.  Because he was very active in the work of the Buffalo German Reformed Church and was looked upon by his associates as a young man of sterling qualities, he was chosen one of its elders, despite his comparative youth.”

Of Susanna it is written in Dougherty’s book, “She had learned English at school in Germany.  Subsequent schooling in Buffalo made the second language a permanent possession.  Susanna took over much of the care of her younger brothers, and steadily developed into a capable household manager.  A measure of her worth is the fact that she was engaged as a servant while in her teens in the Buffalo home of President Millard Fillmore.  She was a thoroughly reliable and mature woman for her years when she married John Hormel.”

Perhaps Susanna’s son, William Henry (George A.’s brother), writes of her the best, “When Father, as a young man, won her heart, he won the most beautiful treasure of life for all of us as a family.”

I am hopeful my sons will write something similar of me someday….

The Deckers

Since I mentioned Susanna Hormel (mother to George A.) last week I thought I would give you a little background on her family, the Deckers.

Also of German heritage the Decker Family immigrated to the United States arriving on a ship called the Houghton on June 29, 1852.  Ludwig Decker, Susanna’s father, was born in Neuwied, Germany in1806, “the only son of educated and well to do parents.”  At age 15 he entered his obligatory 3 years of service in the military. He had hoped to return home to the family meat packing business following this stint but was selected to serve an additional term as a bodyguard for the King of Prussia, Frederick William III.  “Only very tall, well built men were picked for the honored post,” reported by William Henry Hormel in Two Families Under One Flag.

Not much is recorded about Susanna’s mother, Emma (Anna) Marie Boecking (or Backing according to some records).  She and Ludwig married in 1834 in Germany and had five surviving children.  Her 1876 burial site was recently located in the Zion Cemetery in Buffalo. NY.  The lengthy inscription on the tombstone tells about her life and says she had nine children.

During Ludwig’s military service he had the opportunity to travel throughout Germany.  He developed a ‘wanderlust’ and wanted to see more of the world, and especially to see a free America.  “He was of a very democratic spirit and craved more elbow-room, both for himself and for his family.  He could not bear the thought of having his four sons undergoing the hard discipline of army life for future wars, and giving up the very best years of their young manhood,” described W.H. Hormel. 

They sailed for six weeks reaching New York Harbor at the end of June. The ship register indicates that they traveled with a daughter and four sons as well as with an infant daughter who died during the voyage.  The surviving daughter was Susannah Wilhelmina and her four brothers include Albert, Henry, Herman and Jacob-you will see these same names come up again in George’s family.

The Deckers continued in the meatpacking business in America and were very influential in young George A.’s life as you will learn in future articles.  Ludwig Decker died in May of 1899 in the Austin Neighborhood of downtown Chicago, Illinois after spending five years there with his son and grandchildren.  George A. and his brother the Rev. William Henry served as pallbearers with their cousins.

Susanna Hormel cooks

Have you noticed that when you have people over to your home for a time of socializing everyone gravitates toward the kitchen?  The kitchen has become a place where most people feel comfortable.  Guests can offer assistance to their hosts and feel like they are contributing to the event.  Conversation can be shared in a casual environment surrounded by tasty snacks and friendly faces. I have heard it said that if you provide food, people will come to whatever it is you are planning. Our American culture today is quite obsessed with food with all sorts of tv shows and competitions dedicated to cuisine, but food has always been something that brings people together.

Susannah Hormel, George A.’s mother, made quite an impression in the kitchen as George describes in his autobiography, Three Men and a Business:  “I ate the good things that poured out of her kitchen at every meal with a relish and capacity that surprised even her.  I particularly remember a golden “Johnny cake” she used to make from fresh-ground cornmeal, sorghum molasses, eggs, milk, and shortening—a far different kind of cornbread from any one can find today.  She filled her hungry brood with young green cabbage coleslaw doused in sour cream, potatoes boiled in their jackets or baked, mashed rutabagas seasoned with butter and cream, and other fresh vegetables.  And her vitamin-rich meat and vegetable soups, her stews and browned beef hash would have put life into anyone this side of a mummy.  Before mealtimes the most tantalizing odors stole out of her kitchen, the kind you could taste; the yeasty goodness of baking bread mingling with the fragrant bouquet of new made coffee simmering on the stove.”

It sounds like George had the great fortune of a mother with a passion for the kitchen.  Her role of homemaker dictated that she provided meals but her love for the job was apparently evident to all.  George was also blessed with a wife, Lillian, who enjoyed entertaining in her home. Her job was not feeding 11 hungry children but she did often host luncheons and business affairs.  Two recipes we have from her include a Sour Cream Cake (served plain, with no frosting because George didn’t like it) and Hot Chicken Loaf.  I can share the recipes if you would like them. 

I like how Cesar Chavez puts it, “If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him... the people who give you their food give you their heart.” 

The Hormel family certainly shared their heart with family and with others.

YWCA to HHH

If you have driven by the Hormel Historic Home at night lately you may have noticed a bright flashing light in one of the upstairs windows.  You may have also heard a radio playing from the front porch.  We are not operating a disco; we are trying to distract the area crows from roosting in our beautiful trees.  The mess they bring with them is a concern for the aesthetics of the facility and we are trying to figure out an economical way of sending them somewhere else, preferably outside of town. 

I have been wondering lately about how the transition from the YWCA to the Hormel Historic Home occurred in the early 1990’s. So I made a phone call to Evie Mohrfeld, the Director of the facility during the transition. She explained that the National YWCA had made several organizational stipulations and the facility leaders, including I.J. Holton, decided that the home could continue serving the community of Austin and the legacy of the Hormels as The Hormel Historic Home instead of trying to meet the YWCA guidelines. 

Once the change was made, Evie and many local residents decided it was time to restore the Home to its early 1900’s grandeur.  During the 65 years that the YWCA operated in the Home the furnishings were made very basic.  They made the space functional for their needs and that meant changing some of the décor the Hormels had left behind.  It was determined that if the furnishings were upgraded more revenue may come into the home to fund more restorations.  Belita Schindler was very involved with that process and I had the pleasure of visiting with her this week as well. She, and a group of talented decorators and craftspeople, worked hard to select the right wall and floor coverings to try to take us back to the time of George and Lillian.  Unfortunately we do not have many photos from those days. 

An interesting tidbit Belita shared describes the wallpaper border in the living room. It is a hand screened Bradbury and Bradbury reproduction of an early 1900’s print. Acanthus leaves are used in the paper to continue the Greek revival theme that the Hormels introduced in the home when they remodeled upon purchase.  The crew has made many enhancements in the Home over the last 20 years and we are grateful for their forward thinking and decorating talents.