Prior to mass immigration from Europe and the industrialization of American brewing in the mid to late 1800s, brewing beer in the United States was primarily a household chore. Enslaved people, women, and other domestic laborers were many of the the nation’s earliest brewers. Because of the commonplace nature of their work and the identities of those who brewed, however, historians know little about their life stories.

In this session, Theresa McCulla, curator of the American Brewing History Initiative at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, will talk about a recent essay in which she worked to reconstruct the world of one of these figures: Patsy Young, a young woman who was enslaved in early 1800s North Carolina. This project began with scant details: two short “runaway ads” that sought Young's recapture after she had fled from her enslaver--twice. One of the ads revealed that Young was a skilled brewer. She used the profits from her brewing to support herself as a free woman during nearly 15 years as a fugitive from slavery. McCulla will talk about how she used the two runaway ads as jumping-off points to research the broader histories of economics, agriculture, politics, and beer in the time and place in which Young lived, as well as the questions that remain about Young's story. Such research can be challenging but deeply rewarding. Learning about the life and work of Patsy Young helps bring her skill and bravery--and those of others in similar situations--into focus.

Theresa McCulla, PhD, is Curator of the American Brewing History Initiative at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. Previously, she worked for Harvard University Library, Harvard University Dining Services, and the Central Intelligence Agency. McCulla earned a PhD in American Studies and an MA in History from Harvard University, a Culinary Arts Diploma from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and a BA in Romance Languages from Harvard College. She is writing a book about the history of food and race in New Orleans.

THIS SESSION IS SUPPORTED BY:

ADAM HITCHCOCK + SARAH KAMMERER