Nature's Refrigeration

Nature's Refrigeration. . , Prior to refrigerators, the constant cool temperature of the earth surrounding a root cellar was sufficient to preserve summer produce for winter consumption. This root cellar was used to store apples, pears, onions, carrots and potatoes grown on the estate. The fruit were individually wrapped in newspaper and stored on shelves, and the root crops were covered with sand on the ground. This root cellar predated Fair Lane by many years to a time when many small farms lined Fair Lane Drive (then Ann Arbor Road). , , It is not known why Mr. Ford maintained this natural cooler, even though he had state-of-the-art, brine-based refrigeration inside Fair Lane. Perhaps he wanted it as a back-up, in case the refrigeration system broke down, or perhaps it was nostalgia for his rural Dearborn childhood. It is likely, however, that it was Mr. Ford who added the electric lights inside the root cellar to enhance its use. , , Source: Louie Hagopian, Henry Ford Estate Gardener from 1942-1950 , , Illustration source: Neal Kessler and Jing Zong