Hey is that a hoosier cabinet? Well yes, but no. It’s actually a Napanee Dutch Kitchenet manufactured by Coppes Brothers and Zook of Nappanee, Indiana. Surprisingly the company is still in business as of 2019. During the period from the late 1800’s until World War II there were many companies competing in the “hoosier” cabinet business. Including one named The Hoosier Manufacturing Company. More accurately described as a kitchen baking center, they were the heart of the kitchen. Equipped with a flour bin, sugar jar, dough board, and a large work surface you had everything at your fingertips to make bread. The 1917 catalog shows the finest cabinet made cost less than $30.00, with monthly payments available.
The cabinet pictured here is a top of the line unit. It can be dated to about 1927 and includes a porcelain pull out work surface, porcelain lower shelf, and a pull out breakfast table. All now restored to its original condition.
Below you can see what it looked like on arrival. We repaired considerable water damage that included rotted panels in the base, rotted wood in the upper section, and much rust.
The porcelain work surface and shelf liner were refinished also. Door hinges and pulls were all replaced with nickel plated reproduction parts like the original. The tambour door was replaced also. It is still missing the sugar jar (you can see the bracket at the lower right of the upper section). Unfortunately we were unable to locate a replacement.
The results below show the cabinet restored as close to original as possible. It will be a centerpiece for its owners for decades.
