“Wanted a thoroughly competent cook – Call between 10 and 12 a.m., 421 North Washington Avenue. The highest wages will be paid to a cook that is thoroughly reliable and competent. Mrs. W.B. Mershon.” November 14, 1890.*
Saginaw businessman William B. Mershon (1856 – 1943) was an avid sportsman, author, and conservationist. He traveled extensively for both his business and avocational interests; however, his life was centered in Saginaw. His home, a wood-frame mansion on North Michigan Avenue, was surrounded by extensive nature preserve-like grounds.
W.B. Mershon’s activities are well-documented and the books he wrote continue to garner a great deal of interest. However, Catherine Calista Johnson, whom he married in 1889, is often overlooked. Her obituary only provides a brief outline of her life:
“Mrs. Mershon Dies in West. Mrs. Mershon, widow of the late William B. Mershon, well-known pioneer Saginaw lumberman and manufacturer, died Tuesday at a sanitarium in southern California, it was learned here today.
Catherine Calista Johnson was born in Canada and was married to Mr. Mershon Jan 9, 1889. She had been a frequent visitor to California for many years, and for several years had been forced to live in the warmer climate because of her health. Mr. Mershon died July 12, 1943, at the age of 87." (The Saginaw News, December 5, 1945.)
Although the Castle Museum’s collection includes numerous photographs of William B. Mershon and their children – our collection even includes paneling and a fireplace mantle from the front hall of their Michigan Avenue home, we do not have a portrait of Catherine C. Mershon. In fact, she is largely absent from a trove of photograph albums preserved at the Bentley Library at the University of Michigan. (In some cases, we suspect this absence may suggest she was the photographer for some of the family scenes.)
While the newspapers recount her travels, attendance at events, donations and a prize won at a peony show, most articles only hint at her interests--actually, they often leave the researcher wanting more. One report does hint at her personality and suggests a tenacity and level of energy equal to her better-known spouse’s:
"About ten days ago, Mrs. W. B. Mershon placed ten toy banks in hotels, business houses and prominent places in the city and attached thereto was a card stating that contributions of a dime, more or less, would be thankfully received and forwarded for the benefit of the children of the Ontonagon fire sufferers. The banks have been collected and the fund, supplemented by the sale of cut flowers exhibited by W.B. Mershon at the county fair last week, amounts to just about $30.00. Mrs. Mershon will remit this to Ontonagon the last of this week. But it does it does seem as if Saginaw could do a little more than this and if any of the charitably inclined citizens desire to help make this fund a little larger, they can do so by mailing a remittance to Mrs. W.B. Mershon, 1501 North Michigan avenue, west side." (The Saginaw Evening News, September 21, 1896.)
While we have much more to learn about Catherine Mershon, the documentation for food preparation at 1501 North Michigan is much better. Numerous newspaper advertisements suggest the family frequently changed cooks. Also, a 1967 newspaper article, with information provided by Col. William B. Mershon Jr., described his father’s passion for dining:
"The ‘heart’, of the house, however, was probably to be found in its kitchen, dining room, immense butler's pantry off the dining room, cook's pantry and unusual ‘refrigerator’ locker room, originally built in the basement in the days when ice to keep foods cold was cut on the Saginaw River. Because of its inconvenience despite a sometimes balky dumb waiter which had been installed, it was moved to quarters near the kitchen and contained numerous large size food locker compartments as well as a walk-in refrigerator. A warming oven was built in as part of the hot water radiator system in this area to keep food and plates piping hot for Mershon was a stickler on serving hot foods hot and cold foods cold. An authority on the preparation of food, he personally supervised the aging of his beef. He was reputed to be able to tell to a day how long a piece of beef had been aged.
Because he was an avid hunter and fisherman, his food lockers were likely to contain a whole deer, a side of beef, salmon, trout, pheasant, partridge, grouse, duck or wild turkey. He took great pride in serving these delicacies in true gourmet style with a bottle of fine wine from the wine cellar. Once a year he supervised the preparation of three barrels of cider, letting it ferment to become refined. Milk came from the family cows. [The extensive grounds of 1501 North Michigan included an orchard and barns.]" (The Saginaw News, June 1, 1967.)
We will continue to explore the intriguing life of catherine C. Mershon; however, in the interim we will provide you with a couple of resources that will enable you to continue your exploration.
These links will take you to digitized photograph albums preserved in the William B. Mershon Papers, 1848-1943, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. Included are family scenes –taken on the grounds of their North Michigan Avenue home. And the careful viewer will find images that include Catherine C. Mershon.
The Recipe: Mrs. W.B. Mershon’s Mushroom Soup
“Mushroom Soup
Prepare a cream tomato soup, and while the milk is boiling, simmer for 15 minutes, put in a heaping tablespoonful of butter, 1 qt. fresh mushrooms chopped. When the soup is ready to be taken from the stove, add the mushrooms and their liquor. This soup may also be made with canned mushrooms.
Mrs. W. B. Mershon.
-From the Saginaw Cookbook, published by the First Congregational Church, 1929 edition.
Castle Test Kitchen Interpretation:
We puzzled over Catherine C. Mershon’s recipe. We pondered over the lack of quantities and ingredients. Actually, what she provides is more of a concept than an actual recipe. We returned to our research – both biographical and tomato soup. When a looming deadline – the CTK is strict about such things – forced us to return to cooking, we turned to inspiration from Mrs. Mershon’s numerous advertisements for cooks to staff the kitchen at 1501:
“WANTED – Good Plain cook 2 in family. Mrs. W.B. Mershon, 1501 No. Michigan Ave.” (The Saginaw News Courier, September 3, 1922.)
With this in mind, we melded Catherine Calista Johnson Mershon’s recipe for Mushroom Soup with an old CTK family recipe – one that is equally imprecise: Heat stewed tomatoes. When boiling put in a pinch of baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add milk to taste and continue heating. Adjust seasoning and serve – possibly - with homemade croutons.
1 can, 28 oz, crushed Stewed Tomatoes
2 cups combination of milk and heavy cream
8 ounces mushrooms
1 tablespoons butter
1 pinch baking soda
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Clean and slice mushrooms. Use a food mill or immersion blender to puree tomatoes. In separate pans heat the tomatoes and milk/cream. Bring milk\cream to boil and add butter and mushrooms. Simmer for 15 minutes. Prior to combining heated tomatoes and milk\mushroom mixture, put a pinch of baking soda in the tomatoes – they will foam in a dramatic and gratifying manner. When foaming has subsided, combine the tomatoes with the milk mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve.
CTK NOTES:
This is the simplest preparation we could devise. Although thinner than the more complex cream of tomato soups that use a white sauce for thickening, this has a strong tomato flavor.
You certainly could make a more complex and interesting base with onions, garlic and other seasonings and you could certainly create a thicker and more luxurious preparation; however, we took a route in keeping with the 1922 advertisement for a good plain cook.
*The Mershons had not yet moved into their new home at 1501 North Michigan Avenue.