The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-13
PIONEER Brown BREAD BAKER
Asaph Parmelee Of Wilmington Estab-
lIshed Business In Boston

ubUNd DhplUCoo w bSehS'
The brown bread OF Colonial times
was, not the same as that which New
Englanders associate with Saturday
night and Sunday morning. In PHI
grim days according TO Alice Morse
Earle, brown bread was made almost
entirely from corn meal, From very
early times, the brown bread TO which
Bostonians are accustomed has been
a staple article OF food throughout
New England but the baking of Bos-
ton brown bread as a business was
started By Asaph Parmelee who came
to this city from Wilmington, VI,
about 1926. have been told that his
home, which Is still standing, was at
the southeast corner OF Washington
and Springfield streets His wife, Al
thea Namb) Parmelee, like many far
mers' wives, was in the habit Of bak.
ing brown bread In her own brick
oven for the use OF her household and
gradually the report OF her delicious
cooking OF It spread about the neigh.
borhood. SO much was Ii liked by
her friends and neighbors that she
was kept busy making II for the Bos-
ton people of the South End.
At first Asaph, her husband, deliy-
cred 1t in wheelbarrow, then in
handcart and later invested in
horse and wagon for the delivery OF
the Parmelee brown bread. When
the demand became greater than his
wife could supply, Mr. Parmelee built
a large brick oven for his own use.
The loaves were hexagonal, with ta-
to weight in whole, half and quarter
sizes. In 1912 Asaph Parmelee
bought the estate at the southwest
corner OF Washington streets, where
Minot hall now stands The deed of
sale, which Is now in my possession,
records that for this estate with a
frontage of eighty feet on Washing
ton street, and depth of 100 feet on
Springfield street, containing a three
story brick residence and "other
buildings" Mr. Parmelee paid $1,000.
Here he conducted the business of
baking brownbread until 1858, when
financial reverses obliged him to sell,
and he removed to his former loca-
ton on the opposite, southeast cor
ner of Washington and Springfield
streets. He then baked beans as we'll
as brown-bread, and in time had
general bakery. For the sale of his
goods, he erected in his yard small
.one-story wooden building around a
magnificent old horse chestnut tree
that he had been unwilling to destroy
and for many years this tree, extend
ing through the above shop, was a
familiar landmark to the people of
Boston In 1865, owing to failing
health, Mr.. Parmelee sold his bust
ness.
A few years after Asaph Parmlee
had become established as the baker
of Boston brown-bread, Eli Waste a
relative, began baking beans as a
business, using the heat of Asaph's
over after the brown-bread had been
taken out. About 1916, Mr.. Waste
sold out to Lorin Parmelee, a nephew
of the pioneer brown-bread maker,
who enlarged the business by the bak
ing of Indian pudding His bakery
was on Division street, now called
Parmeee, in the rear of his house,
which was 10 East Chester park.
Lorin Parmelee drove his own deliv-
cry wagon, and in later years used to
NOii iiONS OhSC III a Wullts al luuidii
pudding would slide down from the
shelf behind him and fall upon his
back. His route included the lower
part of Hanover and North streets,
where he supplied the sailors board
ing houses. Recognizing the rarity
and value of many of the foreign
coins paid him, Mr.. Parmelee started
numismatic collection, which, at
the time of its SALE was considered
one of the finest in the United States
In 1847, Asaph Parmelee's son
Ashly, opened "a brown bread bakery
on Lenox street directly behind the
old Washington House, which was al
the corner of Washington and Leno1
streets. 1t was Ashley's brown-breaC
that Lorin carried in addition to his
own baked beans and Indian pudding
In 1850, Gilbert, brother of Lori
Parmelee, began to bake both beans
and brown-bread at the southeast cor
ner of Washington and Northampton
streets but he did not continue Ions
in the business.
1t was in the bakery of Asaph Par
melee that his son and his nephew!
received their practical training il
the business of baking brown-bread
and in some cases they were backed
by him financially. From about 1922
until 1900, when Lorin Parmelee re
tired, some one of the Parmelee nam,
was engaged in baking the new far
famed Boston brown-bread -Bostol
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