AS THE DEPRESSION wound down, Eli Lilly hired Zionsville blacksmith Charles Monroe to make a roasting jack for use in the William Conner House at Conner Prairie Farms, which Lilly owned. Monroe worked on the iron and brass piece from photos thought to be taken in Colonial Williamsburg, which had just opened in Virginia. Per his business card, Monroe was an expert in Colonial reproductions. Roasting jacks, also called turn-pits, rotated meat on a spit over a hearth, an early rotisserie of sorts. The gadgets, common in wealthier homes in the 18th century, were wound up by pulling a cord that raised a heavy weight. As it slowly descended—think grandfather clock—it engaged gears that turned the spit. A cook had to rewind it periodically, but that was far better than turning a spit by hand. On May 24, 1938, Monroe wrote to Lilly, “Your turn-pit is coming along splendidly. I am making it authentic in the smallest detail. I am sure it is going to please you.” It did.
Vintage: 1938
Resides at Conner Prairie
