The Springhouse

The Springhouse. . , Before refrigeration, the Peden springhouse kept food cool using old-fashioned ingenuity and the local geology., The Peden family raised livestock, chickens, had a vegetable garden and farmed hundreds of acres. Keeping milk, butter, eggs and other produce from spoiling required a springhouse., A springhouse takes advantage of the cold water emerging from the ground. The cold water cools the air within the building, while the structure provides cooling shade, protection from animals and storage space., Springs occur when water soaking through the ground encounters a harder layer of rock or clay. Unable to continue downward, the groundwater follows this impervious layer until it emerges from the ground. The groundwater of a spring maintains a constant cool temperature as opposed to surface water, whose temperature fluctuates with the air temperature., Springs and caves are abundant at McCormick's Creek., Water percolating through limestone forms a weak acid, dissolving passageways., The Peden springhouse most likely pre-dates the 1857 barn., In 2012, the springhouse was restored. Eighteen inches of mud and debris were removed from the floor of the springhouse, revealing the flowing spring, a sediment pit and a water trough., The sediment pit allowed dirt and mud to settle before water flowed into the trough. Milk cans were set in the trough to keep cool. Other perishables such as eggs and butter were stored on shelves.