What do you think this contraption is?

When do you think it was made?

Who would have used it?

Answers:

What do you think this contraption is? When do you think it was made?

It's a 108 year-old ice crusher! This artifact consists of a glass chamber and a metal rod with a knob on one end and a wider metal fixture on the other, the whole of which runs through a metallic lid. It was made in 1913 by the Roberts Corporation.

Who would have used it?

One of the most popular reasons to crush ice in the 1910s was for iced beverages, although ice was used to keep many things cool in an era just before mass-produced domestic refrigerators.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• 25 Vintage Kitchen Tools You Don't See Anymore
• The History of Kitchen Appliance Inventions
• A Brief History of the Kitchen
• The Surprisingly Cool History of Ice

Questions? Comments? Email us!