SMITHFIELD, Va. — I recently visited Smithfield to check out a piece of local history at the Isle of Wight County Museum.
"We have an object in the collection that's a little less than two feet long. It's kind of brown. It's a little bit wrinkly. Originally, it weighed 18 and a half pounds and it doesn't weigh that anymore," said Jennifer England, the museum director, who describes this local artifact as "very smoky, a little bit salty and rather smells like Smithfield."
The Isle of Wight County Museum is home to the world’s oldest edible ham.
"It has been here on display for quite some time, it's very much a roadside attraction," said England.
As the story goes, in the early 1900s, this ham was lost in the back of a packing house. It was rediscovered in 1902 and to the surprise of P. D. Gwaltney Jr., it was still good - a testament to his preservation process.
"P. D. Gwaltney Jr. took that ham with him around the world and used it as kind of a spokes piece. It was a spokes ham," said England.
While this dozen-decades-old ham is technically edible, don’t expect it to be on the dining room table any time soon.
"There is a rumor that the curator of the museum samples it every year. We don't do that here. You don't eat artifacts," said England.
The Isle of Wight County Museum is located on Main Street in Smithfield, Va. You can visit Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is just $2 for adults and free for those aged 17 and under.
Visit www.historicisleofwight.com for more information and to check out the Ham Cam!
