The House Servant's Directory
Not all of the reference works held by the library are directly relevant to the Lehigh community as their original target audience. This work, which is held in Special Collections due to its historic value, has transformed from an instructive secondary source to a primary source work representative of life around 1827. The original purpose of this title was to instruct household staff members in how to set tables, wait on party attendees, cook, and clean. This work also dedicated about 13 pages to the qualities of different types of anthracite coal, one of which is described as “Lehigh coal” which was commonly used for heating houses. The “Lehigh” in the coal’s name implies that it was sourced from the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, which operated mines in the Mauch Chunk, Pa. (Jim Thorpe) area and shipped its coal using the Lehigh Canal. Canals were made obsolete by railroads later in the 19th century, and the Lehigh Valley Railroad’s success enabled its President, Asa Packer, to found Lehigh University in 1865.
Robert Roberts.
The House Servant's Directory: or, A Monitor for Private Families:
Comprising Hints on the Arrangement and Performance of Servants' Work ... and upwards of 100 various and useful receipts... Boston: Munroe and Francis; 1827. New York: C.S. Francis, 1827.
Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/259182
A version of this text has been digitized and is available through the Internet Archive.