Miss Petticoat Presents : Long Island History Hunt Celebrated at Ketcham Inn

Silk reproduction of an 1880’s American Pageant Dress
made for Ketcham Inn Foundation events.

I am grateful to Bert Seides, President of The Ketcham Inn

Foundation for giving me the opportunity today to give a talk on the history of the American pageant dress: (dresses used in patriotic celebrations), and the origin of the Miss Liberty figure in popular culture, at the Long Island History Hunt winners’ celebration luncheon held at Ketcham Inn in Center Moriches. The Long Island History Hunt challenged locals to visit a series of sites from Brooklyn to the East end of Long Island. Ketcham Inn was one of the History Hunt locations. The grand prize winner was Ray Larsen of Manorville, founder of @liparks, a website detailing Long Island’s green spaces. Ray’s ancestors include original settlers of Long Island. The event was made possible by The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.

The dress I’m wearing in the above picture is a reproduction of an 1880’s American pageant dress, made for special events at Ketcham Inn. It is silk, lace and hand embroidered with stars. It was originally made for the celebration of the grand opening to the public of the Ketcham Inn living history museum in 2015.

For the celebration, Historic Cook Diane Schwindt prepared a meal in Ketcham Inn’s 1693 Summer Kitchen Hearth. The Bill of Fare was composed of all historic recipes including stuffed, rolled beef with asparagus, local green beans, fire roasted potatoes, corn fritters, homemade pretzels, yams, apples, rolls with butter, and fried eel. (Yes, I tried the eel. It was breaded and tasted like flounder.) Dessert included Martha Washington’s Great Cake with Parmesan ice cream and almond apricot cookies.