Hoosier Kitchen Cabinets

Posted by Miss Kim

May 24, 2009

kitchen-cabinet Housewives of the early 20th century worked in large open kitchens featuring large tables, cooking areas, and washing areas but precious little storage.

Hoosier Kitchen cabinets were popular during the early 20th century. Mostly because housewives of this time period did not have all the cupboard space so popular today and well yes hiring servants was becoming less popular with the increase of the middle class.

These kitchen cabinets were fitted with many drawers, cupboards and accouterments to keep the housewife from having to travel all over the kitchen or even house to gather the items she needed to make a meal or dish.
Quote from a 1920 Montgomery Ward Catalog

“You’ll say this is the best investment you ever made when you see how many steps it saves.”

“This cabinet has an undeniable appeal to the housewife who finds herself forced to spend too much time in the kitchen and to the housewife who finds the servant problem too expensive or too irksome. This cabinet in your kitchen will centralize all of your work – it places everything necessary within your arms reach. eliminating unnecessary steps and lost motion. “

In addition to the cabinets these multifaceted kitchen do-it-alls usually included…

bread box
sugar jar
roll curtain front
wire pan rack
flour bin
coffee jar
tea jar
spices jars
cutting board
bin drawer
cutlery drawer
rolling casters

This savvy invention of it’s time still make sense today. Organize your 21st century kitchen with ’stations’, place and store all items (as best you can) for a certain function in the same area. Baking cupboard, snack cupboard, tea station,etc. My main station is the tea section.

You can still find Hoosier cabinets, both authentic antique and reproductions, not to mention plans for making your own, all over the internet today.

Hoosier Cabinet.com

Hoosier Cabinets

Amish Pedler Hoosier Cabinet