BRADY TWP — Dinners have always been a way to bring people together.

The staff at Slippery Rock University's Old Stone House hoped its harvest dinner Saturday would do just that.

Ryan Sutton, graduate assistant at the house, said the dinner was to show appreciation for those who help run the former inn.

“We want to thank everyone and show them the different programs we have coming in the future,” he said.

About 20 people attended the dinner. Sutton said he wanted to strengthen ties with those people to have a strong group for projects at the historic property.

Sutton said this summer the Old Stone House completed an outdoor bake oven, but it was not used Saturday.

“It's too hard to regulate heat inside it when it's this cold,” he said. “And it's not too fun to stand around the thing all day when it's freezing.”

The bake oven was a major project for the Old Stone House but is only the start of restoration plans at the site, Sutton said.

Old Stone House officials want to build a $25,000 outdoor kitchen behind the main building. They also may add a blacksmith's workshop and a stable.

The outdoor kitchen would help with cooking in the summer when it is too hot to use the fireplace inside.

“It's almost too hot in here today, and it's cold outside,” Sutton said Saturday.

He said officials also hope to have a communal garden for the volunteers, and an apple orchard.

“This property used to be entirely self-sustaining,” he said. “Our dream is to get it back to that, piece by piece.”

But the Old Stone House will need the help of many volunteers to achieve those goals, Sutton said.

Saturday's dinner was a way to bring them together.

Bill McGary, cooking instructor at the house, prepared the dinner with the help of volunteers.

On the menu were baked ham, mushroom soup, fried apples, sides of potatoes and carrots, and pumpkin pie, among other items.

“All the ingredients would have been available in the fall. Eating was very seasonal,” said McGary, who teaches several cooking classes at the house.

Each part of the meal was cooked beside the fireplace. The ham baked in a cast-iron Dutch oven, while the mushroom soup hung above the flames.

The recipes came from 18th and 19th century cookbooks, McGary said.

“This was a typical meal of the day,” he said.

McGary worked throughout the day to prepare the food, just as cooks a century ago would have done.

“Dining was a way of displaying wealth,” McGary said.

Food was not just tossed on the table to be devoured. Everything was arranged in a particular order.

“It was the age of balance,” McGary said, adding plates were arranged symmetrically and by colors and textures.

Carol Monk of Volant assisted McGary.

“It's fun doing something like this on a Saturday,” she said. “I think everyone should step away from the electronics for a day each week.”

Morgan Conner, 8, and her father, Rick Noble, of Butler Township, also helped McGary cook.

Morgan helped churn butter. While that may not sound thrilling to many children, the aspiring chef had a blast.

“My favorite thing to cook is brownies and cupcakes,” Morgan said, adding she helps her aunt cook frequently.

Morgan wasn't discouraged by the work needed to prepare an old-fashioned dinner. In fact, she embraced it.

She enjoys camping with her father and appreciates the effort needed to do things without modern appliances.

“I would love to live in the olden days,” Morgan said. “You had to work for your food.”