By: Sarah Wright | Troy Times | Published October 14, 2025
TROY — Anson Pingree, a member of Eagle Scout Troop 188, has been working on a mud oven for Troy Historic Village. He has been part of Troop 188 since 2021.
“Scouting has always been a big part of my life, as my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all Eagle scouts,” Pingree said via email.
He and his father met with Troy Historic Village officials to consider possible projects. Constructing an 1830s-style clay bread oven was a high-priority project for the Village, and it was the one that Pingree decided to pursue. The oven will likely be used to teach courses on bread-making at Troy Historic Village.
“Even though it’s not finished (yet) … the process for building the oven required much more preparation than I initially realized,” Pingree said. “For example, I was required to get a permit from the city of Troy to dig a rat wall and foundation, and the process of pouring a concrete pad and constructing and mortaring a cobblestone base on top of it were completely new to me and required the help of others. While I’ve enjoyed the project so far, it’s been much more time-intensive than initially anticipated.”
Some materials such as lumber, mortar, gravel, sand, cinder blocks and concrete were purchased from Lowes, Home Depot and Advanced Landscaping. In the case of clay and stones, they were obtained directly from the ground.
Pingree has collaborated with Jeff Pavlik for the design and construction of the oven.
“Jeff left his career as a historian to pursue his passion for bread, becoming a professional baker and neighborhood bakery owner for 25 years,” said Alexander Konieczny, youth programs director for Troy Historic Village, via email.
“Drawing on decades of research and hands-on experience, Jeff has led bread workshops across the country that blend baking history with practical technique,” Konieczny said. “Today, he shares his expertise as a culinary arts teacher at a metro Detroit high school.”
The project is expected to be finished later this month, making its debut at a new bread-baking course scheduled for Nov. 1.
“We are always excited to partner with scouts for Eagle Scout projects,” said Jen Peters, Troy Historic Village director, in an email. “We’ve had several successful projects which benefit Village interpretation and programming for years, while giving the scout the opportunity to work through a multi-step project that becomes a valuable learning experience.
“This project is exciting because it complements our upcoming expansion of the interpretation around the Log Cabin and Caswell House that represent early European settlement here in Troy,” Peters added. “Our staff and guest presenters will be able to utilize the oven for years to come.”
Konieczny said that the Village has plans to create a “Pioneer Playground” behind Caswell House that will feature the new oven.
“We are hoping to add additional buildings and facilities that would have been common around a settler’s home that would allow them to do the work of supporting themselves and building a community,” Konieczny said. “You wouldn’t see just a house; there would be things like a smokehouse, barns, a dairy, a hog shed, an icehouse, outhouses and bread ovens. Incorporating some of these types of structures will help us tell that story and enable the Village interpreters to demonstrate some of these tasks.”
Pingree is interested in doing similar projects in the future.
“As long as I have help from the community, as was the case here, I’m open to new experiences,” Pingree said.
For more information, visit troyhistoricvillage.org.