Dorchester County Historical Society
The mysterious contraption that was stored by the Dorchester County Historical Society was, after all, a cookie-making machine.
After weeks of speculation, historians in Dorchester County, Maryland, have identified a mysterious contraption kept in its archives for decades.
The unusual device is a mechanical biscuit making machine whipped and served to produce dense Southern biscuits – a labor-intensive baking process once central to regional culinary traditions.
The Dorchester County Historical Society sparked curiosity in late October by posting photos of the artifact on Facebook, seeking to get the public’s opinion on its purpose. The machine, which has two metal cylinders – one smooth and the other covered with hexagonal protrusions – and a relatively modern engine, was donated in the 90sbut there was no documentation.
The identification process involved public speculation and historical investigation. Social media users have suggested a variety of uses, from pulling taffy to softening leather. However, local historians have proposed that it was probably a whipped cookie-making machine, designed to replicate the traditional method of beat the dough repeatedly to remove the air – a key step to creating the firm, layered texture of these cookies.
Whipped biscuits, a well-known product of the American South, are made with simple ingredients such as flour, salt, sugar, water and lard. Without leavening agents, the dough is beat extensively to obtain a crunchy and crumbly consistency. Historically, this demanding process was carried out manually, often by enslaved cooks using hammers or rolling pins. Later, mechanical aids, such as the identified machine, were developed to speed up production.
“In recent years, our society has undergone many changes and several members of our staff have passed away. We ran out of active members who could give us more information about our inventory/collection. We started using a new cataloging/accession program last year that helps us better manage all of our inventory files and we have been working hard to solve these kinds of mysteries,” Zoë Phillips, executive director of the historical society, tells the magazine.
The final discovery came on November 1, when the man who carried the device in 1992 confirmed its origins. The identification of the whipped biscuit maker not only solved a long-standing mystery, but also shed light on the region’s rich culinary heritage.
Cambridge, Maryland, where the historical society is located, has a strong connection to whipped cookies. Local bakeries, including Camper Sisters Bakery, were known for producing this delicacy, and their family traditions persist to this day.
