Sometimes history is facts and well documented stories. Other times, though, it can be tantalizing clues waiting to be rediscovered and put together much like a jigsaw puzzle, only to discover a few pieces are left to be found. Such is the mystery when I went in search of Nichewaug and instead uncovered the mystery of Nichewaug Potatoes.

Nichewaug is the Algonquin word for the area which is now known as Petersham. The word translates to the land between two fishing places or water places, according to local historian Larry Buell, founder of Earthlands and University of the Wild.

Today, a village of Nichewaug still exists within in the town. The village is located historically near Dana, one of the towns lost during the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir. Nichewaug is for many also associated with the Nichewaug Inn, a well known landmark in the area which now stands empty in the center of Petersham.

The mystery began when I typed in Nichewaug at one of my favorite historical research sites, digital commonwealth.org. Not surprisingly, several pictures of Petersham and the Nichewaug Inn came up. What I did not expect at the bottom of the search were several entries for a cookbook titled “Miss Parloa’s Young Housekeeper,” by Maria Parloa, published in 1893. Curious, I clicked on it and found a reference to Nichewaug Potatoes.

According to the history of Petersham by Mabel Cook Coolidge, the town had good soil for growing potatoes. Buell said that his father grew potatoes, adding that many residents grew vegetables for the local market, which included of course the Inn.

I found no reference to a specific type of potato named Nichewaug. This was backed up by Thomas Borysiewicz of the Bethel, Conn. Public Library, who agreed that the mysterious Nichewaug potato was most likely a reference to the origin of the recipe. Parloa is seen as the founder of the Bethel Library as the monies she left to the town after her death enabled the town to open its first public library. The library has a collection of all of Parloa’s own books, Borysiewicz said. So the question was then where did the recipe originate?

I thought that a little research into the Parloa’s life might help me track down the origin of the Nichewaug potato recipe. Parloa was a well-known chef who not only wrote multiple cookbooks but was a cooking instructor, opening two cooking schools, and was a pioneer in Home Economic Sciences.

Parloa was born on Sept. 25, 1843. Her birthplace is listed as Massachusetts. Thinking that maybe Miss Parloa was born in Dana or one of the other lost Quabbin towns, I contacted Dot Frye, administrative assistant of the Swift River Valley Historical Society. She could find no mention of Maria Parloa in their catalogued information.

Parloa was orphaned at a young age; not much is known of her childhood or even where she learned to cook. However, in the preface of her 1872 Appledore Cookbook, Parloa explained that, “Having had years of experience as a cook in private families and hotels, I know the wants of masses, and feel competent to supply them.

“Many of the visitors to the Rockingham House, Portsmouth, N.H., Pavillion Hotel, Wolfborough, N.H., McMillan House, North Conway, N.H. and the Appledore House, Isle of Shoals, will find many dishes with which they expressed themselves pleased while the writer was pastry cook at those houses,” she continued in the preface.

So there is evidence that she worked in New England Inns and homes. Could one of them have been in Petersham? It was unlikely that it was the Nichewaug Inn, which was built in 1890. However, there were other inns at the site of the Nichewaug Inn dating back to the 1850s.

So in the end there are many fascinating clues but no definitive answers. Her potatoes, with their intriguing links to Petersham, are a historical mystery now uncovered but yet to be solved.

For those who would like to puzzle over Maria Parloa while enjoying her Nichewaug potatoes, the recipe is below:

Nichewaug Potatoes

1 pint of potatoes

1 tablespoonful of minced ham

1 teaspoonful of salt

¼ teaspoonful of pepper

1 tablespoonful of fat

Season the potato cubes with the salt and pepper. Put a tablespoonful of ham, bacon, pork, or sausage fat in the frying-pan, and set on the fire. When hot, put in the potatoes and stir frequently with a fork until they become brown. When the potatoes are done, turn them into a hot dish and sprinkle a tablespoonful of finely chopped cooed ham over them. Serve very hot.