A Hoosier Cabinet Story

  

A      Hoosier      Cabinet


                      Story

From 1920-ish  to 2020.

100 years of food preparation

history recorded in the 

woodgrain. 

What stories could it whisper to us? 

     In the 1890s, in North East Indiana,  a free standing kitchen cupboard was designed by a man named James McQuinn.   He designed it for a housewife named Mrs. Brewster who asked him for a baker's cabinet.  It became known as the "step saver" cabinet and was also called the "Hoosier Cabinet".  By the early 1900's it was a very popular item in kitchens until the 1930's, when built in kitchen cabinets became popular.  One of these old hoosier cabinets was purchased approximately 45 years later, around 1975,  at a garage sale in Northwest Indiana for $35.   The sale was held in an old house with a store front that was at one time a neighborhood food store for things like milk and bread.  My aunt purchased it and the  garage sale free standing kitchen cabinet was moved to her basement and used for tool storage until about 2006 or so.  At that time we loaded it into my little black Suzuki Aero car and I drove it to my condo in North East Indiana, where it sat in my garage, filled with catch all items,  until December 2013.  In December of 2013 it was loaded into a U-Haul trailer and moved to South West Ohio and placed in our pole barn. At which point it promptly was filled with assorted junk.   

   Then in the winter of 2018 a friend mentioned the need of a project.  After a lengthy discussion, it was decided that in the summer when his garage area could be open to provide adequate ventilation we would transfer the cabinet in sections to his home where he would work on it.  For three summers, with the help of his "mamaw and papaw" (who are expert antique furniture refinishers)  the old Hoosier Cupboard was restored to a new life.  

Each spring various pieces would be hauled from our home to his and each fall they would be brought home.  Some summers required switching  items throughout the summer.   Hours of work by my friend and his grandparents resulted in my beautiful "new" antique cupboard being delivered to my home last week!  Although the brackets still need applied that secure the top to the bottom (my husband will find time soon) so that I can fill it up, I wanted to take some pictures and post about my hoosier cabinet.  I am so thrilled and excited for it to be home.  I just love it and appreciate all the work that went into it by so many people.  My friend and his grandparents who did all the hard work,  my step daughter and her fiance' who lugged pieces back and forth each spring and fall, my step grandsons who delivered the finished product to me this past week, and my husband that has been very patient although bewildered at my love for this old piece of furniture, have all been a part of this wonderful acomplishment.  

To read more about the history of Hoosier Cabinets click HERE,  and HERE and HERE and HERE .  

and enjoy the videos that follow

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Caleb's Crossing

by

Geraldine Brooks

The State Library of Ohio issues library cards for all Ohio residents.  Since I have a state library card, I can check out ebooks on my kindle app.  This evening, I finished the book I most recently checked out.  The novel, Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks, is amazing.   Brooks has written five novels and I have now read three of them and really liked each one.  I intend to read the other two.   Caleb is a young Native American male who lives in the last half of the 1600's on the island that becomes Martha's Vineyard.  He is taken under the wing of the family who are missionaries on the island and, being exceptionally bright, becomes accepted into Harvard.  These facts about Caleb are true but the book is fiction.  Brooks has woven a wonderful story from these sparse facts.  She has become one of my go to authors.   I highly recommend any of her novels to anyone looking for a good read.  Please click on the book title and author's name above to follow the links to more information.  And enjoy the video that follows.  

Talking To Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

Talking to Strangers

by

Malcolm Gladwell

This evening I finished listening to the audio book Talking To Strangers By Malcolm Gladwell.   This book does not oversimplify what is a very complicated issue in the United States.  It does not point fingers to one side or another.  Instead it struggles to clarify outcomes created by misunderstandings and expectations.  The book has as its beginning and its ending the tragic death of Sandra Bland about whom HBO did a documentary in 2018.  In between these two bookends the author covers a wealth of information.  He explains human nature's tendency to assume the best and societies expectation that those in authority have the ability to know when not to trust someone.  He explains the origins of police training manuals which teach assumptions that have been removed from environmental context.   The audio book is a work of art.  It is done in podcast style with audio footage from interviews and news reels properly placed according to the content of the book.  The song "Hell You Talmbout" by Janelle Monae f. Jidenna is interspersed at chapter breaks and other appropriate times. I am the first to admit that I am not very good at social skills in general and when it comes to reaching across cultural barriers am often uncomfortable and inept. My take away from Gladwell's book is to communicate with restraint, humility, care, and attention instead of blame will move us toward the path of progress. This book is not easily understood. I had to pay attention. But it is worth the effort it takes to follow the details of how we ended up in our current mess. Gladwell does not point fingers at the authorities or the public but instead explains areas of misunderstanding and decisions that were made along the way that caused us to be where we are today. Not blaming individuals but examining a very complicated broken system, the explanations in this book are important ones to study. Please follow all four links above to more information. And enjoy the two videos that follow. Then listen to this audio book. It is an important one.