Coffee is an important part of many morning routines. Long before the days of buying coffee grounds from the store, buying whole beans was the only way to get coffee. This meant coffee grinders, like this one pictured from 1910, were also part of people’s morning routines.
Beans were poured into the top, and the hand crank on the side was used to grind the beans as they fell through the machine. The grounds then came out of the bottom to be used to make coffee.
When beans were processed in a grinder like this they had to be used immediately because they quickly spoil once cut. This means this was a daily ritual for anyone who wanted their coffee in the morning.
You can see this coffee grinder on display this weekend as part of the Salem Museum’s Hands-On History Saturday program.
This month’s Hands-On History theme is “Preparing the Harvest,” featuring antique kitchen equipment. On Saturdays, visitors can pull on a glove and touch a piece of history with their own hand. In October, Hands-On History is sponsored by Guynn Waddell Carroll & Lockaby, Attorneys at Law. Salem Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and located at 801 E. Main St.
