Arguably the US’s first food fad: popcorn goes back 6,700 to 3,000 years ago in the Americas to Indigenous Peruvians. It first entered American popular culture in the 19th century and has since become a popular and iconic snack. Today, its popularity allows movie theaters to charge up to $10 or more for a bucket of popcorn. How did we get here?

While the people of Peru had popcorn, the Indigenous peoples of Massachusetts did not; their diet consisted of flounder, cod, clams, berries, birds, and deer. It was not until about 1,000 years ago that strains of flint corn (Zea mays var. indurata) arrived in southern New England, which is distinctly different from popcorn (Zea mays everta). Flint corn's arrival rapidly modified the diets of locals alongside squash and beans; together they became known as the Three Sisters. Legend has it that Squanto himself taught the Pilgrims to grow popcorn, though in actuality it was simply a strain of flint corn that he introduced to them. It wouldn’t be until the 1820s that records of popcorn first appeared in the eastern United States. Not long after Europeans adopted popcorn, production began to expand across the country. It was sold in wagons in 1840s Boston, consumed as a breakfast cereal, and exploded in popularity in the Midwest after the first commercial popcorn-popping machine was created by Charles Cretors in 1885. However, back in Massachusetts, the humid climate meant that it was a considerably less common crop. 

Popcorn contains moisture that, once heated, is trapped by the hull and surpasses boiling temperatures, which gelatinizes the starch inside. Eventually, pressure builds, the hull cracks, the moisture escapes, and the gel expands, creating popcorn. However, kernels require a specific 13% to 14.5% moisture content to effectively pop. In order to reach the correct moisture level, the popcorn kernels ideally must dry naturally on the stalk after a 90 - 120 day frost free summer. Midwestern autumns are dry, while New England autumns are often damp, making popcorn a challenging crop to harvest. Nonetheless, it’s still pictured in this Almanac (1899) in the Gore Place collection, which not only depicts corn on the cover but also provides a guide to growing popcorn during the popcorn craze of the 1890s. Despite growing corn on his farm and having an interest in agricultural advancements, it’s unlikely that Christopher Gore ever tasted popcorn as he died in 1827, a decade or so before popcorn became popular.

Today, you’ve likely tasted popcorn in movie theaters. This trend started in the 1930s, when theaters that sold popcorn were often the ones that generated enough profits to survive the Great Depression. Originally many theaters disliked popcorn because it wasn't “high status” and they believed it distracted from films, especially silent ones. However, as it became more popular and profitable, they began selling it. Popcorn remains one of the most popular theater concessions to this day. While concessions make up about 20% of gross revenues, because theaters make around 85% profit off these sales, concessions account for 46% of theaters’ overall profits. Furthermore, because popcorn kernels expand in volume to over 25 times their original size, it's very cheap to transport and store them as kernels and pop them on site. Ultimately, these factors, plus the vast and ideal growing conditions of the Midwest are why theaters mark buckets of popcorn up to $10 or more. From thousands of years ago in Peru, to cereal, to wagons, to theaters, popcorn has come quite a long way in America, and likely is here to stay.

Sources:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ancient-popcorn-unearthed-in-peru-81304339/ 

https://econlife.com/2026/02/movie-theater-popcorn/ 

https://plimoth.org/yath/unit-3/nasaump

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/archaeology/exhibits/mass-bay.htm 

https://www.pbs.org/food/stories/popcorn-history 

https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/peanuts-popcorn-cracker-jack/ 

https://www.kentohio.gov/training/howdy/ 

https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/faq/what-proper-way-harvest-and-store-popcorn

https://www.history.com/articles/a-history-of-popcorn

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies-475063/ 

https://movieweb.com/how-did-popcorn-become-movie-snack/ 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies-475063/

https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/why-does-movie-popcorn-cost-so-much

I’m hoping to help out by setting up events, working on a research project, updating the various roombooks, and creating a new system to track the objects in each room. In the short time since I’ve started, it’s been a pleasure to get to know my knowledgeable colleagues, and I have loved and appreciated the opportunity to work in such a historic and stunning mansion; it quite frankly feels like I’m in a movie each day.

Welcome Jake!

It has been six months since I started my internship here at Gore Place, and as things are coming to an end at this wonderful place, I wanted to share a few of my more impressive achievements. 

I was brought here with one main project in mind – the relocation of collection items from the attic to the carriage house basement. The attic had been overrun with decades’ worth of non-collection material, and things had gotten to the point where nobody even knew what was what. Step one was sorting this mess out: surveying the space and clearing out what was not needed. We rented a dumpster and disposed of more than a hundred boxes of old magazines, pamphlets, books, and envelopes. Everything got hauled out, and the very real risk of the floor caving in was finally off the table. What remained were the collection items I was here for – over a hundred items that had been sitting in a space with intense temperature fluctuation throughout the seasons. And I mean intense, over 120 degrees in the summer!

The Carriage House basement needed its own transformation. After a general cleanup and reorganization, we had a small mold scare on a few wooden pieces – some gloves, solvents, and careful cleaning sorted that out. Once the space was ready, I built and installed six new shelving units and fitted a dehumidifier. Then came the most satisfying part: relocating all 150 odd collection items from the attic into their new, properly shelved, and climate controlled home in the Carriage House basement. I also made sure to update every item’s location data in the database, so nothing gets lost.

Beyond the project itself, this internship gave me a real range of experiences. I helped accession new donations and deaccessioned old pillows and mattresses. I curated a small display case of revolutionary-era artifacts, wrote a piece for the Agrarian, and put together interpretive cards for a fundraising dinner. I filmed videos for social media showing off pieces like farm tools and jewellery, led farm visits for 3rd graders, and volunteered at both the Sheepshearing Festival and a Regency Ball. Oh, and somewhere along the way I ended up as an extra for a short film. A genuinely brilliant six months!

Written by Connor McElhinney, Collections Specialist

Nowadays, people consider a nice cuppa tea as the stereotypical drink of the British, however, this has not always been the case. Tea has been cultivated and drunk in China for over two thousand years, but it was only introduced in England during the mid-17th century, being first sold in in London in 1658. Catherine of Braganza later going on to popularize it within the English aristocracy after she married King Charles II in 1662.

Having come half-way around the world, from China to Britain on British East India Company ships, tea was incredibly expensive. This made it a commodity worth keeping safe and secure. Therefore, a designated container was needed for its domestic storage, partly to keep it fresh, but also partly to protect it from the hands of pilfering servants. Thus, lockable containers known as tea chests were created, containing small cannisters for green and black tea and a central cannister for sugar. 

As the 18th century progressed, these cannisters became known as tea caddies. The term ‘caddy’ deriving from the Malay word ‘kati’: a unit of measurement equivalent to 600 grams. A kati also happened to be the exact amount in a standard 18th century packet of tea. Hence, the word was picked up by the English as ‘catty’ and applied specifically to the Chinese good tea, which later became ‘caddy’ in reference to any container for tea leaves.

During the second half of the 18th century, tea drinking became a far more common domestic affair. However, tea was still considered a luxury. Consequently, tea chests became a status symbol, as well as a sign of good taste. Tea chests and caddies were considered important pieces of furniture in England and were often made to fit in with the rest of the décor in the room. Although most tea chests were constructed from wood, some craftsmen began to utilise a larger variety of materials, including silver, ivory, pewter, tortoiseshell, brass, copper, enamel, and ceramic. Wealthy individuals would hire these craftsmen to create beautiful and ornate chests and caddies, allowing them to keep their tea leaves safe, while also displaying them in a manner that was fitting to their expense.

Interestingly, tea was just as popular in colonial North America as in England, yet the system governing its trade was convoluted from the start. Colonists were legally required to buy tea through Britain, but the British East India Company could not sell directly to them – it had to auction its stock wholesale in England to be resold in America. This arrangement grew increasingly strained by taxation. Tea entering the Dutch Republic went untaxed, while the Company paid 25% on every import into Britain, making smuggled Dutch tea far cheaper by comparison.

To help the British East India Company compete, Parliament passed the Indemnity Act in 1767, lowering domestic tea tax. To offset this loss in government revenue, Parliament simultaneously passed the Townshend Revenue Act, taxing tea, glass, lead, oil, and paper imported into the American colonies. However, due to protests and boycotts, by 1770, every Townshend tax except the one on tea had been repealed. This was hardly a crisis at the time, as roughly 86% of the tea consumed in America came through colonial smugglers like John Hancock and Samuel Adams anyway. 

By 1773, due to a number of reasons, the British East India Company was sitting on 17 million pounds of unsold tea and facing financial collapse. So, Parliament passed the Tea Act in 1773, allowing the Company to export tea directly to the colonies for the first time. Importantly, the tea would arrive duty-free, undercutting the smuggled Dutch tea and effectively granting the Company a monopoly. However, colonists were still required to pay the remaining Townshend tax on tea, 3 pence for every pound imported.

Colonists saw the Tea Act for what it really was, i.e., an attempt to make them tacitly accept Parliament’s authority to tax them. Outrage and resistance spread quickly, culminating in Boston on December 16, 1773, when members of the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the harbour and dumped 92,000 pounds of tea into the water. The Boston tea Party was, at its core, a protest against taxation without representation – the belief that Parliament had no right to tax people who had no voice in government and became one of the defining events on the road to the American War for Independence in 1775.

Sources:

https://antique-collecting.co.uk/2022/07/28/tea-chests-and-caddies-the-essential-guide/

https://chitracollection.com/collection/tea-chest-and-canisters/#:~:text=As%20the%2018th%20century,h%20century%20packet%20of%20tea.

https://fineart-restoration.co.uk/news/sipping-in-style-tea-caddy-history-and-preservation/ 

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/tea-chests.htm

https://newenglishteas.com/en-us/blogs/tea-for-two-1/history-and-evolution-of-the-tea-caddy

Reticules are small, drawstring bags that gained popularity in the late 18th century. Prior to the 1800s, women used to tie pockets around their waists under their petticoats. The fullness of their skirts would mask the bulk of any items in their pockets. As slim-line, sheer dresses came into fashion during the Regency period, women could no longer conceal their pockets under their skirts; so they began carrying them on the outside. 

These reticules were often made of velvet, satin, silk, or netting. Women would decorate them with beading, embroidery, and paint as a way of making them more beautiful and showcasing their handwork. 

Where did the term reticule come from?

The word reticule comes from French “réticule” which derives from the latin word for net. Reticules were also called “indispensables” as women would carry their necessities within them. There is written evidence that some men, who thought these small bags silly, referred to them as “ridicules”; but it is likely that this was a play on the word “reticule” rather than the root of it. 

More reading: https://regencyfictionwriters.org/the-reticule-or-the-ladys-pocket-exposed/

When did reticules go out of fashion? 

Fashion historian Carrie Midura, who led the February 2026 reticule embellishment workshop at Gore Place, says they never did. The reticules of the Regency era have evolved into the vast variety of purses (handbags, clutches, fanny packs, etc.) that we still use today. 

Gore Place has a number of reticles in the collection, a few of which are highlighted below:

This beaded reticule dates from the middle of the 19th century (USA). The purse is made of wool canvaswork and accented with cut steel beads.

Dating from the early 19th century, this lady’s reticule is made of silk satin and embroidered with multiple colors of dianthus-like flowers.

This beautiful butterfly-shaped reticule dates from the 1820s (USA). It is made of lustring silk, velvet, and cardboard. The butterfly pattern, resembling a blue morpho butterfly, was likely stamped onto the purse then painted.

He writes, "I've always loved history and exploring past lives and I wanted to pursue a path that reflects this interest. I’m excited to be participating in an internship and cultural exchange program here at Gore Place. I’ll be organizing, documenting, and rehousing select items from the collection, which is large, varied, and full of valuable content. I'm looking foward to contributing to the collection's preservation and accessibility to visitors."

In her will it states that this gift is because of "happy memories of a visit in the 1960s." Mrs. Mayl visited Gore Place with her mother when she was in her 20s. A few years later she became a lifetime member. We stayed in contact with her and over the years, she donated to our annual fund as well as to capital campaigns. Although we knew Mrs. Mayl thought fondly of Gore Place, we were amazed by the generosity of her bequest.

Gay Reddig Mayl was originally from a Cleveland suburb. After graduating from Sweet Briar College and Georgetown Law School, she returned to Ohio and worked for White Consolidated Industries. Together with her husband, Jack Mayl, she traveled the world and approached life with curiosity and humor. 

This gift highlights how breathtaking Gore Place is and how visiting a wonderful place can change a person’s life. Gay Reddig Mayl’s bequest will help Gore Place grow and blossom and we will never forget how much she has helped us.

During her summer internship, she selected objects from the Gore Place collection and conducted research in order to create and present a public tour on childhood in the 19th century. When writing her tour, she focused on making connections between the featured objects and deliberately chose where in the mansion to display these items. She hoped this thoughtfulness would help convey a bigger picture and engage the tour’s attendees. Those who attended this tour also enjoyed how she shared information about the objects’ previous owners. Some of her favorite objects from her tour include: a porcelain doll, a rocking horse, and examples of needlework and embroidery.