The Hoosier Goes Home

Do you know what a Hoosier is? I have had this oak cabinet in my home for well over twenty years and to us, it was always called "Gram's Hutch." It took a trip to Indiana and a 100-year-old aunt to get its name right

At almost 101 years, Aunt Rachel still has a prodigious memory, and has very clear recollections of how important the Hoosier was to her Indiana family. Our 1904 Hoosier began its life in Pashan, Indiana, in the home of my husband's grandmother. Hoosier cabinets were the center of domestic life in early 20th century Midwestern homes, and Gram's hutch was no different. As life in rural Indiana became more modernized, the homely Hoosier lost its magic, and with the family's subsequent moves, the hutch became storage instead of a lifeline for the family.

When Gram came to live with my husband's family in the 1960s, her kitchen cabinet came with her. There were at least two renovations of the piece, including covering the dry sink with a board and tiling it (For you antique purists, don't worry, the whole tiled covering is removable). My father-in-law brought the piece to Chicago for us when he and Joann moved into their retirement setting, and it has been a valued family heirloom in our homes since then.

Although we love both the Hoosier and the family memories stored in it, we decided it was time to pass this family piece on to the next generation. We sent out a query in our family letter, and my husband's cousin was quick to respond. We didn't know her very well, but discussed it with Aunt Rachel and trusted our decision that Kim would understand the importance of keeping a family heirloom in the family. We made arrangements to deliver the cabinet to Goshen, Indiana, and got our friend to help carry. On a snowy Saturday morning in February, we loaded the cabinet and the two oak chairs that always accompanied the cabinet into a U-Haul trailer.

Upon arrival at Kim's home in the country, we knew we had made the right decision. The home is spacious, with plank construction and a soaring cathedral ceiling. There was a spot in the entryway tailor-made for the cabinet, as if Eric had designed the home with Gram's Hutch in mind. As we unloaded the pieces of the hutch and the chairs, Aunt Rachel told us how the family used the Hoosier. There are three raw videos that I took with my little digital camera; please excuse the quality, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to record her for posterity.

Aunt Rachel talks about the bottom section
Aunt Rachel talks about the cabinet's life beyond Indiana
Aunt Rachel talks about the top section

When we returned home, my dining room looked very naked and vulnerable without the imposing oak cabinet. The smaller scale piece that I finally had room for doesn't look like it will hold all of the family china items. I know that it is also time to start giving these away, but I don't think I can part with all of these heirlooms at the same time. Just in case you don't know how I feel about dishes, click here.

 When we make decisions we often hold it to the "WWAD" standard. It's a takeoff on a slogan that people wore on bracelets for a while. We're not being sacrilegious, but find that asking ourselves "what would Arthur do?" is a good way to center our choices. Tom's father was a rock to the family and we miss him every day; it gives me pleasure to try to make decisions through his lens. Taking the Hoosier back to Indiana to return it to its roots is the right thing to do.