Dear Helaine and Joe: When we purchased this cabinet we had to remove a number of layers of paint and replace the metal top and roll-up doors. It has a plaque that reads, "The kitchen cabinet with the disappearing table manufactured by Harris-Brown Table Co., Greenwood, Miss., Patented Sept. 9, 1912." What do we own?
Thank you. — S.P., New Richmond, Wis.
Dear S.P: Collectors typically call a piece of furniture such as this one a "Hoosier cabinet." The main reason for this generic name is that cabinets similar to this one were first made by the Hoosier Manufacturing Co. of New Castle, Ind.
Of course, the word "Hoosier" is associated with the state of Indiana and the origin of this nickname is open to some debate. Some say that it is based on frontier slang related to when strangers would approach an isolated house. They would typically holler out "Hello, the cabin!" and the occupant would yell back, "Who's there?" but this generally came out sounding like "Who's 'ere?" and this became slurred to "Hoosier?"
Others think the name is derived from a corruption of the word "Hussar," which refers to European cavalrymen, or a name given to laborers who were lent by Samuel Hoosier to help build the National Road (now U.S. Route 40). There are possibilities other than these and the actual derivation of this nickname may never be known with certainty.
In any event, the Hoosier Manufacturing Co. was reportedly in business from 1898 (one source says 1903) to 1935, but many other companies made similar cabinets. Many of the other makers were also located in Indiana and these included such firms as the McDougall Co., Coppes Brothers, the Wilson Cabinet Co. and the Campbell-Smith-Ritchie Co.
Unfortunately, there are no records available (that we could find) on the Harris-Brown Table Company, but what is most important about this piece is not the specific manufacturer, but its form and condition.
Typically, a Hoosier cabinet is a step-back cupboard with a metal work surface, tambour doors (what S.P. referred to as the "roll-up doors"), and built-in flour bin or bins with a sifter or sifters.
It is troubling that S.P. did not mention either the flour bin or the sifter in her letter and this leaves us concerned about whether this original equipment is still present. Some Hoosier cabinets have metal-covered pull out surfaces, but the example in today's question has both a metal shelf that can be used as a work surface and a pull-out table that would serve as both additional work space and as a kitchen table that could be used for dining purposes.
Hoosier cabinets were really early 20th century laborsaving devices that were designed to give the homemaker a unit that held her cooking and baking needs, plus a place on which to work. In many cases, they were also an introduction to "time pay" and many were sold to rural families for a dollar a week that could be paid over the period of a year or more.
It is sad that the Hoosier cabinet belonging to S.P. has had so much work done to it because all the refinishing and replacement parts have greatly lowered the value. Upper end examples of Hoosier cabinets with good original paint and extensive internal fittings can bring prices of $2,500 or more, but with all the work that has been done to this circa 1915 piece, the insurance replacement value is only $1,000 to $1,200.
Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Questions can be mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.