Paula Bennett, Imagining Ichabod

Prompted by a serendipitous visit to a bookstore, an epiphany leads Paula Bennett and her husband, Harvey, to southern Maine where they spontaneously buy the General Ichabod Goodwin House with its original nine-over-six windows, wide-plank painted wood floors, early Georgian moldings, and an 8-ft wide hearth perfect for cooking. While learning about 18th-century decor to inform the furnishing of her historic home, Paula diligently researches the house’s first inhabitants. She begins to imagine daily life in 18th-century New England, specifically for the first two Goodwins who lived on their property a father and son, both named Ichabod.

Join Paula and Harvey as their shared passion for history leads to an archaeological dig outside their front door, connecting them even more to life in early America, and their avid interest in the culinary arts leads the author to explore and recreate historic recipes, 25 of which are woven throughout the text. Their journey culminates in cherry-picking from the past, recreating aspects of the 18th-century and adapting them into their 21st-century lifestyle.