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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The Country Homemaker Hop #41


Welcome back friends.  I hope you've had another productive week on the homefront.  

We took a trip up to see our kids and enjoyed a tour of their little farm town.  While there, we stumbled upon a little jewel, The R. C. Baker Museum.  This museum showcases some wonderful homemaking tools from the past.  

Walking through the rooms was bittersweet.  I remember watching my Grandma use some of these pieces in her own home and those memories made me smile.  Though, as I read the clever write ups for each item it became clear that I would have struggled to maintain my household doing so many back breaking chores on my own.  

I tip my hat to the ladies of that bygone era.  They really were more woman than I.  

Here's a few pictures of the homemaking tools we found at the museum...
 Ye olde clothesline...  I'm still trying to get the hubby to make me one.
An old wringer washing machine.  This one was much fancier than any I've seen before.  It has a spot for a crank on the top of the lid that attaches to an agitator inside.  There used to be a firebox below at one time to keep the water HOT.  I've been told that this washing machine was an important improvement for women, and was much better than an old washtub and board.  It  was faster and easier to use, and much easier on the back and shoulders too. 
 An ironing mangle.  My Mother was trained by her aunt (a laundress) to use one like this to press clothes as a teen in the shop.  The shop received 15 cents per shirt for washing and pressing.  What a deal.  
 This is an old grain separator.  Homemakers used to have to shuck/crimp/grind grain for animal feed all by themselves.
 Cream separators...
 A hundred years ago, no kitchen was complete without one of these, a hoosier.  I drooled when I saw this one.
 A stove top wood stove was a must have too.
 Can you see the water pump at the sink?  My Grandma grew up without indoor plumbing and electricity.  My Mom spent much of her early childhood without indoor plumbing too.  I was awed by the attention the volunteers spent sewing these demonstration rooms together.  Each room was something special to see.
 This little museum was full of surprises.  I like how they mixed and matched so many things from so many eras... The appliances in this kitchen appear to be from the 1940s and 1950s according to the tags.
 I remember visiting my Aunt Dale in Southern Texas for a few hot summers as a child.  I can still see her pulling a giant watermelon from an ice box like this one in the mid seventies...  

I hope you enjoyed seeing these images.  Perhaps they even jogged a few happy memories for you as they did for me. 

Please feel free to link up and share your homemaking posts below.  Have a wonderful week ahead.   






13 comments:

  1. Wow, such cool items! I have a hoosier cabinet that was passed down to me from my grandma and it's my favorite thing in my house.

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  2. Ok I am not that old lol and yet my mum used some of these items that you have in the pictures when I was growing up on our farm . brought back good memories though ! Great photos and post . Have a wonderful day !

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    1. Hello Elaine,
      Though it's true many folks still use a few of these old homemaking tools yet today, I am sad that we don't see more of them. Whenever I have to plow a garden bed without a tiller, it reminds me of my ancestors and how great a struggle it must have been to do things that we take for granted today. Have a great weekend.

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  3. Great find Heidi. Do you think it was easier or harder for homemakers back in the good old days?

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    1. Howdy Deb!
      That's a tough question. Though I think the physical labors were far greater back then, I also believe that the social web that provides support and comfort to people was much stronger back then. My Grandma grew up with more than a dozen brothers and sisters all pitching in with the daily farm chores of over a 1,000 acre wheat farm. Today, most of us have only a few children, little land, and obligations to education, career, sports, etc. that our ancients did not possess. We must be doing something right because we are living more than twice as long as they did, in spite of the fact that we are a nation that's overweight and malnourished. Go figure.

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  4. I remember some of these things from around my Grandparents' farm. Brings back some great memories :)I love places like this and yes, I would drool over that Hoosier too!

    Thanks for sharing! I posted about a Pioneer Festival and an old schoolhouse...you might like the photos from that too!

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    1. Thanks Lisa Lynn,
      I am heading over to your blog next. Have a great day and thanks for sharing. I love reenactment camps, rendezvous, and SCA events. I learn so much from them.

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  5. The Women of yester year really did work hard. My Mother-in-Law is the 7th child, first daughter, in a family of 13 kids. She often tells stories of her mother and growing up.

    Very neat museum find and hope you had a great time visiting your kids.

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    1. Thanks Robyn,
      I did enjoy seeing the kids. You're right. The women that came before us worked hard. I know I am a candybutt and would not have made it.

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  6. I'd love to have these old homemaking items! Looks like a good festival.

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    1. Hi Kathy,
      Me too. I'd love to try them. Maybe it'd make me appreciate my Maytag and double door fridge with water, ice and light a bit more. Man, we are spoiled today.

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  7. I'm drooling over the hoosier too! :)
    You MUST get a clothesline put up, there is nothing like crawling into a bed made with line-dried sheets after a hard day working! Besides, look at all the money you can save by not using the dryer for things like sheets and jeans.

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    1. Hi Candy,
      I totally agree. The hubby will be retired in about 11 days. The clothesline is high on my list of honey-do's... I look forward to the crisp sheets... :o)

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