CAMBRIDGE, MD. — Historians at the Dorchester County Historical Society are stumped by a mysterious motorized machine that has been sitting in their storage since the 1990s. Now, researchers are turning to the public for help in identifying the unusual device.
The machine, which features two spinning objects resembling rolling pins and a ceramic countertop, has left society members puzzled. According to Zoe Phillips, executive director of the historical society, it could be close to 100 years old—although the motor appears to be a later addition.
"So we think that it is something that has been here since the '90s," Phillips said.
Records indicate that a similar contraption was donated by the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society. However, no photographs confirm the exact details of that donation, adding to the mystery surrounding its origin and purpose.
One theory, according to Phillips, is that the machine may have been used to make beaten biscuits, a type of Maryland biscuit known for its dense texture.
"We potentially think it was a Maryland beaten biscuit maker," Phillips said. "Created by a man who was trying to help his aunt with the business, and the belief is that this would've helped beat the air out of the dough as the biscuits were being created."
Phillips added that the traditional method for making these biscuits involved beating the dough on a stump with an axe, describing the history as “very unusual.” This machine, however, may have been an attempt at a more industrialized solution to the labor-intensive process.
While the beaten biscuit hypothesis is one possibility, the historical society is asking for assistance from the community to verify the machine’s true purpose. Phillips noted there was once a beaten biscuit bakery in Cambridge, further suggesting a local connection.
