The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-02-20
Loring Parmelee of Viii
mingtOn Helped Boston
on Road to Fame
DELIVERED BEANS
IN WHEELBARROW
Soon Forced 70 Build Larger Bakery
oven Having Capacity of 700 Quart
-city's Yearly Bill for Beans Nov
S1l,oC0,00O.
Especial TO The Reformer.)
nnsTnN Enh


BOSTON, Feb. 90
Boston baked beans. famed through
out the world probably have done more
to give the capital city Of the old Bay
state its splendid reputation than any
THING else. excepting the part its citi !
yens aud buildings PLAYED in the carly |
history of the making of this great ma |
ton. bat q part Of the credit for the
Boston baked bean must be given to
I.orinp u. parmclcc, q native of Will
mington, Vermont, for il was he that
started the first bake shop in Boston,
entirely devoted TO cooking the !" l,QOO
on a plate.
Mr. Parmelec was born in Whining.
ton Nav 5, lS97, and when p years
Of age came TO Boston and found en-
ploymcnt with his cousin, Ashley Par
melee, proprietor of bakery on the
site Of tho present Washington mar
krt. 4 few months later he began
90 bake beans exclusively, the work
being done i'm e wooden building on
Springfield street, and he delivered his
baked beans 10 his customers In
whcelharrow.
ne was soon forced 10 build larger
bakery 10 accommodate his rapidly in
creusiug patronage and il was erected
avenue. corner Of Parmclcc tnamcd in
his hOuorl. The oven of the new bak.
err had q capacity Of zoo quarts and
often was taxed 10 its utmost AS
sistents had 90 boz employed to conduct
the work and delivery wagons 10 de-
liver The baked beans TO various parts
of the citg.
In ls63 Loring y. Parmelee took as
partner Edwin Newell, and they re-.
NAMED IN husincs. for seven years.
George l.. Parmolec, son of the bakery
proprietor, then took an active inter
est IN the firm until 1901, when T. l..
Nhpple was admitted as a partner and
the firm became known rs the Boston
Baked Bean company Later il was
changed TO parmelct & Whipple, and
they removed 20 larger quarters on
Arnold street, corner of Shawmut ave
niue.
Mr.. Parmelee sold out his interest t5
Mr. Whipple ia 1904 aud retired. III
died year later The business is still
Carried on in Boston by others in {
large bcilling aud in another section OF
the Hub.
In this grcat bakery for beans alon,
thotc are great kettles that hold twC
or three bushels Of beans and in thes,
the beans are put 10 soak and parboil
Then the pots varying in size from on
quart 20 two gallons, are ranged nroun,
on tables aud are filed from the kettle
for the oven.
The ovens are huge brick affair."
glowing reddish color clear throug
the bucking owing TO the terrific heat
They are largo enough 20 hold NOR
than 5000 qua d The beans are bake
over night and removed from the oven
early in the morning and loaded int
auto trucks III time for delivery t
the hotels and restaurants for hreal
fast
Saturday is the greatest day of III
week for the bake bean shops. for th
beans are wanted for supper that da
end for sunday morning breakfast, to-
Wednesday evening also is heav
one for the bcaucries and on both the'
DAYS cxtra help is employed to get Il
large Quantity out in time.
Not only the Bostonians and old Ne
Englanders partakc of the uscio1
pork and beans, but even the forcig
ponulacc seem 10 take readily to Il
famed dish. In North End, Bosto
there 9 m italian bakery which hak
from 500 10 1000 quarts of beans
day. mostly for Italian cousumptio
At this bakery the beans are baked
the morning and are ready for cr
toners ~ , o'clocl, in the aftcrnoo
Boston : yearly bin for beans
nearly Al 100000. Nth consumuti
rvcraoiug about 81 quarts to each
habitant About 90 million quarts
baked hoans constitute the average a
nual supply of Bostonians, and all
the cities and towns Of the Bay sta
turn ont q proportionate amount
Watts who was a resident of Medfo
used 20 carry Boston baked beans n
baked Indian puddings to Cambria
several times each week and there S
them 90 the students az Harvard c
lcge.
Until 1910, the pots used for bcj
were lifc plum pudding cans
straight sided jars. about that ii
the old Southwiek pottcrics on Low
street. Peabody, Mass, bcgpn to mo-
bean pots and they were in great
mand and did a taurshing business
in or about 1870 some dozen
moro acres of land were given 70
Lawrence Southwick nv the town
Peabody, OF rather Snlcm. for rcab,
was then part OF salem, TO carry
the business Of making glass
carthcn ware with a number of OF
residents
The clay used hy the potters
largely obtained from the shores
the river head of Caw.house in
Waters river. the boundary OF v
to-day IS Dnnycrs and Peabody.
best clay was found in Danvcrs.
the pottery industry was centcred
Peabody. aud the clay pits near
river head were easily reached f
what Is now Andover street, Pcabt
Fortvuinc potterics were seattle
aLnmt tho town ~ snlem i'm whnt IL