Centennial Celebration Reenactment

of the first lutheran worship service
conducted in central north carolina

Briggs Building then

In July, 1911 William Howard Taft was the president of the United States. There were 46 states in the Union. North Carolina had 2.2 million residents, with 19,218 living in the capital city. And in an upstairs room of the Briggs Hardware Building in downtown Raleigh, Reverend Jacob Morgan led a small group in Lutheran worship. While Holy Trinity Lutheran Church wasn't officially chartered for another year, this was the first stirring of a fellowship that has thrived for nearly a century.

On Sunday June 19, 2011 Holy Trinity relived the initial worship service of what later became the first Lutheran church in central North Carolina. The Drama Team of the Holy Trinity Centennial Task Force planned the reenactment, which was creatively interwoven into the church's worship service. This was done in a tasteful and respectful fashion that worshiped God, celebrated our history, and encouraged us to learn about our past.

Briggs Building now

Excellent notes in Pastor Morgan's own hand about that Sunday in 1911 were used to create a script that incorporated the first Holy Trinity service into our regular Sunday worship. This included singing the hymns sung at the first service and followed the order of service in the Book of Worship. Costumed participants included Pastor Morgan, his wife and three children, and the two gentlemen who attended the service. The sermon of that day, based on the story of the lost coin in the Gospel of Luke, was also a part of the reenactment.

The portrayal encompassed reflections on the events that led up to the service, and on what was happening at the time in Raleigh and in the wider world. It also included some humorous moments to help bring the characters to life. While the group of worshippers was tiny, their faithful fellowship — and that of others who would join them — led one year later to the formation of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, with 12 charter members.

The reenacted worship of June 19, 2011 continued a long and rich history of theatrical production at Holy Trinity, including Christmas pageants, religious dramas, musicals, and the celebration of Holy Trinity's history during the church's 75th anniversary in 1986.

—Kevin Potter
Centennial Celebration Publicity Team

Heritage Cookies

Served Following the Service

Recipes compiled by Debbie Franke

The cookies that were served have all been popular for at least 100 years. The recipes are modern. Store-bought cookies from 1911–12 that are still available include Oreos, Lorna Doones, Fig Newtons, and Barnum's Animal Crackers, all from Nabisco.

Please enjoy these recipes!

Joe Froggers From Yankee Magazine, although recipes without rum are found in many cookbooks.
This recipe and the legend* behind it are a part of the history of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Be sure to use the specified ingredients No substitutions! Avoid too much rolling out.
¾ cup hot water	¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon dark rum
1 cup (2 sticks) butter	2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda	2 cups unsulphured dark molasses
6 to 7 cups flour	1 tablespoon salt
1½ teaspoons ginger	1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice	½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Combine hot water and rum in small bowl. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. In a third bowl, combine soda and molasses. In a fourth bowl, combine 6 cups flour with salt and spices. Blend water and rum into creamed mixture in large bowl. Add molasses and dry ingredients alternately; blend. (If dough is too stiff, add a little water; if not stiff enough, add more flour.) Divide dough into three balls, cover with plastic wrap, and chill thoroughly. Preheat oven to 375° F. Sprinkle board with remaining flour. Roll out dough and cut with 2-inch cookie cutter or rim of glass. Bake on greased cookie sheet 10 minutes. Yield: 8 dozen.
* The Legend of Joe Froggers: A couple known as Aunt Crease and Black Joe lived at the edge of a pond in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Joe had fought in the Revolution as a young man. On election night, they would open their house, which on occasion was also a local tavern, and serve grog. Joe would play the fiddle and Aunt Crease would cook. One of her specialties was a molasses cookie the size of a modern-day salad plate. She made them for fishermen, who found they stored well in barrels during long sea voyages. In the early 1800s, the election took place at the end of May, a time when frogs were peeping in the pond, and by association the cookies were called Joe's Froggers. Over time the possessive was dropped, and the name today is Joe Froggers.

Hermits

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Chicago's Palmer House Chocolate Fudge Brownie

(Photo by Bob Hildreth, 2011)

Holy Trinity Centennial Logo.

Margaret Jordan's banners.

Benne Wafers recipe online
These cookies have been associated with Charleston from Colonial times and can still be purchased there. The sesame seed was brought from Africa. The recipe is found many places on the Internet.
1 cup sesame seeds	¾ cup butter, melted
1½ cups packed brown sugar	1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract	1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt	¼ teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 375° F. Place the benne (sesame) seeds on an ungreased baking sheet and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, until light brown. Watch closely that they don't burn. In a large bowl mix the brown sugar, melted butter or margarine, egg, vanilla extract, flour, salt, baking powder and toasted sesame seeds together until combined. Drop dough by ½ teaspoonfuls 1½ inches apart onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for four to six minutes, until light brown. Let cookies cool for about two minutes before removing from baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.

Macaroons recipe online
Macaroons or macarons have been around since the Middle Ages. The term is used for a variety of cookies which may contain almonds, coconut, or neither. In France the macaron is a meringue, generally made with almonds. Kosher versions baked for Passover contain egg whites but no leavening. Many recipes call for sweetened condensed-milk that was patented by Borden in 1853.
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® sweetened condensed milk	1 egg white, whipped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract	1½ teaspoons almond extract
1 (14-ounce) package flaked coconut
Preheat oven 325° F. Line baking sheets with foil or parchment paper; grease and flour foil or paper. Set aside. In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg white, extracts and coconut; mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets; slightly flatten each mound with a spoon. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Immediately remove from baking sheets (macaroons will stick if allowed to cool); cool on wire racks. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Cinnamon Jumbles
Jumbles have been around since the Middle Ages. They were originally a hard rolled/cut-out cookie. They are much like sugar cookies, sometimes called tea cakes, which also have been popular for centuries. Some recipes have fruit or nuts in them. My recipe came from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book (1963), but the same recipe can be found on the Internet.
½ cup shortening	1 cup sugar
1 egg	¾ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract	2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda	½ teaspoon salt
Topping
½ cup sugar	1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix thoroughly the first three ingredients. Then stir in the next two. Then sift together and stir in the rest. Chill dough. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2" apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Bake until set but not brown, at 400 F. for 8 to 10 minutes.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
The Scottish made oat cakes a thousand years ago. By the Middle Ages, raisins were used in various cookies. Oatmeal containers often have a recipe for cookies on them. Chocolate chips are a good replacement or addition to the raisins. Cinnamon and other spices are also often added. This recipe comes from my 2008 cookbook.
1 cup butter or margarine	¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar	2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla	1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda	3 cups oatmeal, uncooked
1 cups raisins	1 cups chopped nuts, if desired
Beat together butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine with flour, baking soda, raisins and oatmeal; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoons on ungreased baking sheet. Parchment paper may be used. Bake 10 to 15 minutes at 350° F. Makes 4 dozen.

Hermits
Cookies with spices, fruits and nuts have been around for centuries. It is not really known why these are called hermits in the United States. Hermits also come as bars. My recipe came from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book (1963), but the same recipe can be found on the Internet.
1 cup butter, margarine or shortening	2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs	½ cup cold coffee
3½ cups sifted flour	1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt	1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon	2½ cups seedless raisins soaked in ½ cup brandy or rum overnight. (Note: I didn't soak mine)
Cream shortening and gradually beat in sugar and eggs. Stir in cold coffee. Sift together flour, soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon, mix all together and stir in raisins. Chill at least one hour. Drop rounded teaspoons on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in hot oven, 400 F., about 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.