Vintage, distinguished and in excellent condition! Cold storage oak refrigerator made in Eau Claire, Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Refrigerator Company. Would make a great liquor cabinet or storage unit. The hinged top lid opens to reveal the original upper cooling compartment that has all its interior metal cladding. Brass hinged single front door, with brass latch, exposes the lower cooling compartment with the original racks. The front bottom apron lifts up for access to where the drip pan would be. A drip pan is NOT included. This is 43″ tall, 28″ wide, and 17″ deep. A unique appliance that is a distinguished piece of furniture!

$785.00, delivery or shipping not included in the price.

Refrigerator History:

Refrigerators were invented in 1803 by Thomas Moore of Baltimore, Md. His design consisted of two boxes, one inside the other, separated by insulating material. Ice and food were stored in the inner box.

By the 1850’s, systems had been developed for placing ice at the top of the box and circulating air around, thus melting the ice and cooling the air.

Most upscale iceboxes were made of oak, with pine used as a secondary wood. From the 1880’s through the early 1900’s, there was a large variety of iceboxes with a vast assortment of styles and sizes offered to the American public.

The invention of the icebox came out of our inherent desire to strive for a better quality of life. More than any other invention, the icebox probably did more to change the dining habits of the average human.

During the latter part of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century, ice boxes were considered to be a piece of furniture. They were designed to be functional and decorative. Ice boxes made after the 1920’s tended to be plainer.

Wisconsin Refrigerator Company

The Wisconsin Refrigerator Company in Eau Claire, Wisconsin started in 1888 and the Cold Storage Refrigerator Co, was an outgrowth of the Wisconsin Refrigerator factory. A fire in 1931 closed the factory.

Archival Documents

From: History of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin
1842 – 1915 Edition

Page: 482 Wisconsin Regrigerator Company

The Wisconsin Refrigerator Company was established in Eau Claire in 1886 by Hochis & Smith and was operated by them until taken over by William J. Starr, of Eau Claire. A stock company was formed and incorporated as the Wisconsin Refrigerator Company, with a capital of $50,000. The present officers are William J. Starr, president; C. T. Bundy, vice-president; 0. L. Brice, general manager, and treasurer. They employ approximately 200 hands and their annual output is about 40,000 refrigerators designed for use by hotels, florists, groceries, meat markets, the private home, and restaurants. They also manufacture refrigerators and cooling rooms under special designs for any purpose, and their trade extends from the states of Washington and Texas to Maine and all the large cities in Canada. During the year 1913, the company did a large business in
Argentine, Columbia, Peru and Brazil, South America; New South Wales, Australia, Japan and several of the most important cities in China.

For full text version of “History of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Past and Present; Including an Account of the Cities, Towns and Villages of the County“