Strawberry And Rhubarb Jam, Mrs. Olivia Harper Medders

The header for Miss Olivia Harper’s 1899 marriage announcement read “Wedded to a Marylander.” Olivia’s mother, Mary C. Harper, and her father, storekeeper George W. Harper, were both born in Delaware. But 1880 and 1910 censuses show the Harpers living in Kent County – Maryland, not Delaware, so the announcement title is somewhat curious. Olivia Harper herself was born in 1876, in Maryland. But that’s no matter. Olivia, daughter of a shopkeeper, married William Medders, who would eventually become a merchant himself.

His store became a famous local fixture for nearly 70 years.

“Still Pond, at the turn of the century, was a thriving community with a large cannery and warehouse for farm produce. People came from Baltimore by steamboat to the resort of Betterton only a few miles away and traveled to Still Pond, which had 4 stores and 5 doctors.” – Maryland Historical Trust

In 1946, the Baltimore Sun profiled Medders. Quotes and information from that article would be reprinted in subsequent decades, including in Medders’ 1959 obituary.

The story goes that Mr. Medders came to Baltimore at age 17 to learn the “dry goods” business, working for city merchant Daniel Holiday. City directories show Holiday’s store at what was then 5 Hanover Street. The numbering has since changed, but the shop would have been destroyed in the fire of 1904, 12 years after Holiday’s death.

Holiday had so much faith in young Medders that he sent a note home with Medders to Kent County, declaring he would personally back the man’s creditworthiness. In 1894 Medders bought a store where he had worked as a clerk.

The articles do not mention the fact that the store happened to be the store belonging to the Harper family. I got that information from a Maryland Historical Trust document about the George Harper / William Medders Store.

Olivia’s Father, George Harper spent a stint in New York shortly after this time, working in insurance until he was laid off. The Baltimore Sun later mentioned that Olivia Harper was “the reigning Kent county belle” at the time she wedded Medders.

Medders is quoted in the Sun as saying “farmers are the only people in the world who can sit on the fence and let nature make a dollar for them.” His neighbor, Evelyn Harris, would like a word. I wonder how they got along in church.

Despite his dismissive view of farmers -some of whom were tenants on William Medders’ land- his store appears to have been a beloved area fixture, which was decked out for Christmas with “Old Kris” ringing sleigh bells on the roof, free lunches of turkey or ham, and hot coffee.

The Sun article, which ran in 1946, described the store as “like a visit to Aladdin’s cave. Doors, hidden by piles of merchandise, lead into wings overflowing with more merchandise.”

“Cooking ranges with all the modern gadgets to make farm cooking easier… canned goods… jellies… peppers and spices… preserving jars…” are listed in the article, which gives a window into the lives of the women who contributed to “The Eastern Shore Cook Book.” Most of the parishioners of Still Pond Methodist Church probably did their shopping at Medders’ store.

Olivia Medders died in 1951. The Medders’ had two daughters. Olivia’s obituary also mentions that she was an alumnus of Goucher College, was active in the Red Cross, in homemaker clubs, and that she was the president of the Women’s Society of Christian Service.

When Medders died in 1959, the the store left a hole in the community, not just for shopping but for a place to see and be seen. One of Medders’ maxims had been “never join anything” such as social clubs, bank directorships, or chambers of commerce. Medders didn’t have to join – “William Medders & Co.” was a club open to the community and beyond, and he was the founder.

Recipe:

“Use equal parts rhubarb and strawberries. To each cup of the mixture, use three-quarters cup of sugar. The rhubarb should be cut into one-half inch length, and the berries crushed. Bring slowly to boil and cook 30 minutes, add sugar and cook until of desired consistency. Seal in sterilized jars. To avoid danger of mold, process jars for 25 minutes in water bath.”

Recipe from “The Eastern Shore Cook Book, of Maryland Recipes“