Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Story of my Hoosier Cabinets & Pirates on the Lake??

  I inherited the family hoosier cabinet from my Mom who inherited from her Mom whom (My Grandma) got it from her sister who bought it new. This is a Coppes Hoosier Cabinet from Napanee Indiana

  In every case this cabinet was used before "real" cabinets were built in the kitchens for all of us-even for me as I will finally have "real" cabinets at the lake house. Thought that was always an interesting bit of information.
     I want to pass this on to the Coppes kitchen museum in Napanee, Indiana.

  I just took this photo-I am getting it ready for it's move to the lake house. This cabinet needs a bit of renovation but it still works well for storage. This may turn into my baking storage cabinet.
    I rubbed it down with Liquid Gold wood preserver but it needs a bit more. That roll up in the middle there has broken so I keep it propt up.
    What is unique about these pieces is that the top portion slides off so easier to transport. That enamel board slides out for a larger work surface. Far left is the flour holder and sifter. My Grandma and Mom always used that but I never have. I also still have the original sugar bowl that goes with this piece and spice jars as well.



  Here is a link to the history They also have links to their museum and how to date your cabinet-which I found quite useful  And I was happy to see they are still in business making kitchen cabinets.

  We also have another cabinet that we received from a friend. His adopted parents lived near St Louis Missouri and when they passed he asked if I would like it-of course I said yes. Sadly someone had cut out sections in the back to use this piece for a stereo. I would like to replace the back.

Hoosier is a nickname for being from the state of Indiana.  Why are these types of cabinets named Hoosier cabinets?  here is what I found online:

     The cabinet got its name because most of them were made in Indiana. The first Hoosier cabinets appeared in 1898, created by a furniture company called Sellers, in New Castle, Indiana. Popularity of the cabinet grew up until the late 1940's when the records for the cabinets became scarce



I really love this stenciling




Up at the lake house yesterday, I got more painting done, and unloaded more craft room items.

I had remembered to bring my camera with but then I ended up leaving it in the car-lol   Our friend that came with us to work on the basement took a photo of this cool boat with his cell phone.  Looks like pirate ship-fun!!  The sails are up but they also had a hidden boat motor.


There is a bar down the lake called Captain Ron's we are wondering if this was theirs and give tours. It passed us twice-one full of kids.

The guys also saw Canada geese swimming by with their little ones.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

12 comments:

  1. That's a beautiful piece, and I know you're glad you can keep the tradition going. A pirate ship on the lake? It sounds like the photo ops will be priceless :)

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  2. Great cabinet, Kate. And I llllove the "pirate" ship on the lake!!! Kisses!!!

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  3. Those cabinets are beautiful, I love pieces like that, so much nicer than modern ones. Sounds like you will be having fun at the lake house with pirates around! Take care of yourself, Hugs, Valerie

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  4. Your cabinet is lovely. What a treasure to have passed down through the generations. I like that pirate ship, too. If it's from Captain Ron's, that could be a fun place to go have lunch one day, and use that for a T Stands For Tea Day. :-)

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  5. Lovely cabinet made even better because it belonged to your mother and grandmother. Such a cool way to trace your genealogy. Looks like lots of fun on the lake.

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  6. My Mom had one too, not as big or as pretty as yours. Hers was painted white with an enamel metal white work space. When we moved to a house with real cabinets, it was repurposed as board game storage for us kids. Yours is so lovely, Kathy. I like that the natural wood has been preserved rather than painted.

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  7. I read somewhere that the real Hoosiers had plates at the top that showed they were Hoosiers. I have two kitchen cabinets, but neither is a Hoosier. I've stripped both down because they had both been painted. One had a flour bin insert in it, the other has a pie safe. One has a roll top, the other roll top is missing. Like yours, both mine have the metal pull out shelf. Did you know if the metal gets worn, you can tun them around so the "good side" shows?

    This was a fascinating post, Kathy and I enjoyed seeing both of yours. The large one is far bigger than both of mine. I like that you still have the sugar bowl and spice jars. I have the rack for one, but not both. I'll have to take photos of mine and how each of these cabinets is SO different in their appearance and use.

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  8. I just checked and the one that held the flour bin was from 1923, model B. It is exactly the same, right down to the number of shelves and drawers, but mine doesn't have a metal tag at the top. Although wider, that same one of mine has two drawers underneath the metal pull out piece, which Model B doesn't have. This was fascinating and I am so glad you shared it.

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  9. That is amazing piece of furniture. You were really lucky to inherit it. I like vintage furniture and anything with cabinets or cubbies. Thanks so much for sharing it Kathy. Hugs-Erika

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  10. Your Hoosier cabinet is a beauty. I also have my grandmother's old Hoosier cabinet. She had painted it green, but we had it stripped and refinished. It is one of my favorite pieces.

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  11. I remember seeing cabinets like yours in homes of my parents older friends and relatives. I think we called them sideboards in WI. But they might have come from Indiana. If you give it to the museum, you can at least go visit it, Right? This a was a fun bit of American history, Kathy. Eileen xx

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