MDI Historical: 19th Century Foodways & Trade with the Slavery-Based West Indies In-Person / Online
Mount Desert Island's early colonial settlers relied on Caribbean slavery for everyday pantry ingredients, including molasses, coffee, sugar, and rum. Local schooners traded wood products and dried cod for these tropical treats, used in everything from flavoring medicines and gingerbread to hot drinks and cured ham. Resistance to the brutality of enslavement was widespread and constant across the West Indies, even as the goods made there brought wealth and a higher standard of living to the colonists here. Historical newspapers, local store ledgers, and colonial recipes will help us trace the culinary connections between Mount Desert Island and the West Indies. Speaker: Anna Durand
This program is a collaboration between the Northeast Harbor Library and the MDI Historical Society. It will be offered in person and via Zoom, and recorded for later viewing. If you do not receive a confirmation email after registering, please check your spam or junk folder.
- Date:
- Wednesday, August 13, 2025
- Time:
- 5:30pm - 7:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Mellon Room
- Campus:
- Northeast Harbor Library, 1 Joy Road, Northeast Harbor
- Audience:
- Public
- Categories:
- Public Event
