HOOSIER CABINET INFORMATION | ||||||||||
The origin of the “Hoosier” cabinet can be traced back to the bakers cabinetsthat were used in the late 1800’s. These cabinets consisted of a kitchen table with drawers and two large possum belly bins for flour and meal that sat on the floor. The upper cabinet in a baker’s cabinetincluded 2 doors for storing dishes and utensils. The company went from employing twelve to fifteen men who could make fifty to sixty cabinets a week to more than seven hundred men in the factory, averaging production of seven hundred cabinets a day. This change was mostly due to hiring Harry Hall in 1903. He standardized the line so that doors, drawers and hardware were interchangeable. He also brought in the concept of the assembly line. The cabinets were progressively assembled with each workman performing a single operation. By 1920 The Hoosier Co had sold over two million cabinets.
By the turn of the century there were more than 40 different manufacturers making 40 different models a year. With the “Big 6” being Hoosier, Sellers, McDougall, Napanee, Boone, and Wilson, all hailing fromIndiana, the term “Hoosier Cabinet” name became generic for all the stand alone kitchen work stations of the time. The Sellers Co was founded in Kokomo, IN but after a fire moved to Elwood, IN. Automatic lowering flour bin, glass drawer pulls, and ant-proof casters were just a few of the finishing touches the Sellers Cabinets offered. The McDougal Company was started in Indianapolis, IN, after a fire in 1909 they moved the factory to Frankfort, IN.The McDougall cabinets had a roll door that dropped down to open instead of rolling up. They also had the first flour bins with a glass front so you could see how much flour was in the bin. Boone Kitchen Cabinets were named after the county they were located in, in Lebanon, IN. Kennedy Hardware is currently located in Boone County, IN. Their advertising claim was that their cabinets were designed and named by women. The Mary Boone, Bertha Boone, and Betty Boone. Restoring aHoosier Style Cabinet Kennedy Hardware is your “Hoosier” specialist. While many things can be lost to time, Kennedy Hardware is still the authority and purveyor of more Hoosier parts than anywhere else in the world. With bread drawers made on original machines and handmade tambour doors, we do everything we can to keep your cabinet authentic,and, many of our exclusive items can provide the finishing touches to your cabinet. If you would like to know more about “Hoosier” cabinets and the biggest manufacturers you should check out the best selling book by Phillip Kennedy, “Hoosier Cabinets”. This book is a great source for information, restoring tips, and can even help identify some cabinets. | ||||||||||
FAQs
HISTORY OF HOOSIER CABINETS %? ›
Hoosier cabinets were made mostly from the late 1890s through the 1930s, reaching their peak in popularity during the 1920s. The major manufacturers of Hoosier cabinets at that time were located in Indiana. Hoosier Manufacturing was the largest.
How can I tell how old my Hoosier cabinet is? ›Dating A Hoosier Cabinet. It is difficult to identify the exact date of a Hoosier cabinet manufactured by Coppes Napanee and there are no hard and fast rules to apply. However, the type of finish, metal ID tag, how it was assembled, and the style of the flour bin will give you some clues.
How much is a Hoosier cabinet worth? ›The value of a Hoosier cabinet is determined largely by the condition of the piece and the presence of the original accessories. While all-wood examples in perfect condition can fetch nearly $2,000, those requiring some restoration work may cost as little as $200.
When were Hoosier cabinets popular? ›These are just a few of the names used to describe what was a modern marvel for housewives across America in the early 1900s - the Hoosier Kitchen Cabinet. For 40 years, some four million free-standing Hoosier Kitchen cabinets were made. By 1921, one in 10 U.S. homes had a Hoosier Kitchen Cabinet.
Do they still make Hoosier cabinets? ›The Hoosier Cabinet Era
and G.I. Sellers and Sons, were closed in 1942 and 1950 respectively, making Coppes Napanee the only manufacturer of Hoosier Cabinets still in operation today.
The majority of Hoosier Cabinets were made with oak. However, due to oak's scarcity in the late 1940's, manufacturers used any type of solid wood they could find. Often two or more wood species were used to manufacture a single cabinet, and many of these cabinets were painted to hide the varying wood spices used.
What wood were Hoosier Cabinets made of? ›White Oak was the most common exterior wood used in Cabinets during this clear finish era (1898-1920) of cabinet manufacture at Coppes Napanee. If you are restoring a cabinet that was painted sometime in it's history, then you need to decide what it had originally and if you want to keep the paint or do a clear finish.
What is the most expensive cabinet style? ›Custom cabinets are the most expensive and the price varies according to the style and design you choose. As the name indicates, custom cabinets are built to your specifications and you can add as many embellishments and accents as you want, assuming you want to pay for it.
What is the most expensive type of cabinet? ›The cost of high-end kitchen cabinets can vary depending on the materials, design, and brand. Some of the most expensive kitchen cabinet woods include walnut, rift-cut white oak, cherry, and rustic alder. Custom cabinets are also the most expensive option, with prices ranging from $300 to $750 per linear foot.
Are Hoosier cabinets two pieces? ›A true Hoosier cabinet consists of two pieces – a top and a deeper bottom. The bottom typically has several drawers for organization, with a tin-lined drawer to keep bread fresh, and at least one large cabinet for dishes and storage. The table-like top would pull out, made of wood, tin or porcelain enamel.
What was the purpose of a Hoosier cabinet? ›
A Hoosier cabinet or Hoosier is a type of cupboard or free-standing kitchen cabinet that also serves as a workstation. It was popular in the first few decades of the 20th century in the United States, since most houses did not have built-in kitchen cabinetry.
What is inside a Hoosier cabinet? ›Hoosier cabinets often boasted a flour bin with a built-in sifter. Other features included a sugar bin, spice rack, knife drawer, and a cookbook holder.
What's the meaning of Hoosier? ›HOOSIER - pronounced hoo'zher - is an inhabitant or native of Indiana, and the name of our National Forest. No one is quite sure where the term originated for sure, but there are five primary theories. Sam Hoosier's Riverboat Men. Robert Hoosier's National Road crew. Indiana was a land of rowdies.
What are people from Indiana called? ›For well over a century and a half the people of Indiana have been called Hoosiers.
What company owns Hoosier? ›On October 4, 2016, Hoosier Racing Tire was purchased by Continental Tire. Today, Hoosier Racing Tire is the largest race tire manufacturer in the world.
What is a Hoosier jar? ›The Hoosier Jar is hand blown with a ground lip Mason shoulder seal and glass screw cap with three lugs on the inside. The cap is typically embossed 'PATD SEPT 12TH 1882 JAN 3D 1883' in a circle on an outer ring and 'HOOSIER (arch) JAR' (inverted arch) in an inner circle.
How do I identify my cabinets? ›Cabinet brands that belong to the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) will have a sticker on the back side of the sink door or side wall of the cabinet. On the sticker there should be a code or the cabinetry name in the middle of the label. For example, on a Bertch Kitchen+ door, the code is BCM.
Is my cabinet an antique? ›How can I tell if a cabinet is antique? Understand the items materials, craftsmanship, and style period first. Look underneath the piece for a company stamp/branding or a production number or country name in which it was manufactured. Look at the type of wood and whether it is solid wood.
How do I know what era my furniture is? ›Search for any labels, stamps or manufacturing tags underneath or on the back of furniture, or in the drawers. These marks will be able to tell you who made the furniture, where it was manufactured and often the year that it was made. If there is a label, look for signs of ageing as they can be faked.
How do you read cabinet numbers? ›B30 = B stands for Base and 30 means the cabinet is 30” wide. 3DB24 = DB stands for Drawer Base, 3 in front means it there are three drawers on this cabinet, and 24 means the cabinet is 24” wide. W2442 = W stands for Wall, 24 means the cabinet is 24” wide, and 42 means the cabinet has a 42” height.