Kitchen

1950s

This view, although the dimensions are somewhat distorted by the wide-angle lens, shows the layout of the upstairs kitchen and bathroom. This area was not possible until the mid-1950s. To stay nominally competitive with the new motels springing up in the area, the owner finally installed minimal plumbing. The small stove at left burned either wood or coal. The door on the right has the old rimlock doorset. All of the doors in the museum have rimlocks with porcelain knobs. The floor is covered with battleship linoleum, layed directly on the pine board flooring which shows through the floor covering. No underlayment was installed, although during restoration some newspaper was found under part of the original linoleum. As in the kitchen downstairs, the ceiling is wallpapered like the walls.

 

Left The small table is set with Fire King plates and cups. Fire King glassware was extremely popular between 1942 and 1976. An aluminum canister set sits atop the shelf. A half-pint glass cream bottle and a few other kitchen utensils are on the tabletop.

Center The 40-inch sink has a left-hand 18-inch drainboard. On the shelf above the sink are two vintage Coke trays, an aluminum teapot, and some mugs.

Right A newer version of the icebox seen in the downstairs kitchen, the metal clad icebox, began appearing in the 1920s. On top of the icebox are glass milk bottles in a wire carrier. Milk, like the ice, was delivered door-to-door.

 

On the sink is a shaving soap mug/brush and a safety razor, an advancement over the straight razor in the last room. On the left of the sink is a mustache cup. At right is a clawfoot bathtub. Although the bathroom fixtures are original to the building, they are not now plumbed to be serviceable.

 

There are no built-in closets in the old hotel. Clothes were stored in wardrobes and trunks on the first floor. Added features on the second floor are two dormers, one in this bathroom and one in the last room that we will visit. They were used for closets. Two wooden blocks are on opposite walls to hold a closet pole. A wire is affixed to the walls over which a sheet or blanket was draped to hide the clothes. Sitting in the dormer is a white wicker clothes hamper and a small chest.

 

Continue

Map