Rare historic cookbook republished by Mabry-Hazen House, Storyhaus Media

Mabry-Hazen House and Storyhaus Media are reprinting a rare piece of regional culinary history — The Tennessee and Virginia Cookbook. Originally published in 1911 by the women of First Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee and Central Presbyterian Church of Bristol, Virginia, The Tennessee and Virginia Cookbook is filled with over a thousand recipes and documents the cooking styles, culinary techniques, and favorite dishes of more than two hundred women from southern Appalachia. With recipes dating back to the mid-nineteenth century and earlier, the cookbook recalls the dishes of their mothers and grandmothers as new technologies, beliefs, and tastes transformed the American diet in the twentieth century.

Extant copies of The Tennessee and Virginia Cookbook are a scarce resource with only handful known throughout the United States. The Hazen family were members of First Presbyterian Church and Alice Mabry Hazen contributed nearly a dozen recipes to the cookbook. They purchased it during its original publication in 1911. For the next century, the Mrs. Hazen’s copy remained within the family until their 1858 home and all their possessions were converted into th Mabry-Hazen House museum in 1992. This heritage cookbook was rediscovered during conservation efforts at Mabry-Hazen House following a fire in the museum’s collection room two years ago. “With Knoxville’s burgeoning culinary reputation, it was incredible to find another link the city’s food history,” said Patrick Hollis, Executive Director and Curator of Mabry-Hazen House.

“We are thrilled to bring back this mostly forgotten piece of Knoxville and southern Appalachian history,” Hollis said. Published by Storyhaus Media, this limited-edition reprint commemorates the 160th anniversary of Mabry-Hazen House and the women who shared their good tastes. Pre-orders are available for hardback with dust cover versions for $49 at www.mabryhazen.com/cookbook/. Proceeds from the sale of this book support the mission of the Hazen Historical Museum Foundation as well as the original author church congregations.

The Mabry-Hazen House Museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located atop Mabry’s Hill in Knoxville, Tennessee. Built in 1858, three generations of the same family resided in the Italianate-style home overlooking downtown Knoxville, Tennessee River, and Great Smoky Mountains. The museum showcases one of the largest original family collection in America with over 2,000 original artifacts on display. Furnished and decorated in the style of several decades, Mabry-Hazen gives a rare view into 130 years of Knoxville history. Learn about the origins of Knoxville’s iconic Market Square, the bitter divisions of the Civil War, the infamous 1882 Gunfight on Gay Street, a mountain city in the New South, the scandalous 1934 breach of promise and seduction trial, and much more through the rich, colorful lives of the Mabry and Hazen families.

Published November 17, 2018