Canehill in Washington County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Fruit Cellar

Photographed by Jason Armstrong, February 19, 2023

1. Fruit Cellar Marker

Inscription. Stone fruit cellars, like this one, were once popular in the Ozarks. They were designed to keep food cool in the summer months and above freezing in the winter months.

Most were constructed in the 1920s and early 1930s as home canning was widely promoted as a safe food storage method, before rural electrification enabled food to be refrigerated. These cellars were used to store Mason jars containing home-canned fruits, vegetables, and meat. They also served as storage space for root vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage, etc.

Food from a family garden could be stored for months in the fruit cellar and would supplement the family's diet during the winter. Farmers could also use the fruit cellar to store excess produce which was grown for commercial sale.

Erected by Arkansas Humanities Council.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Architecture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1920.

Location. 35° 54.42′ N, 94° 23.803′ W. Marker is in Canehill, Arkansas, in Washington County. It is on State Highway 45 south of Patterson Road, on the right when traveling north. This marker is located along the Welch Historic Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Canehill AR 72717, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northwest Arkansas,

on the Ozark Plateau,

in the Cherokee Heritage Region,

and in Osage Territory.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Ozarks.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dr. William and Laura Welch House - 1855 (within shouting distance of this marker); Zebulon and Eunice Edmiston House – 1872 (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Battle of Cane Hill (about 700 feet away); Washington County Cane Hill College (approx. ¼ mile away); Bethlehem Cemetery (approx. 4.4 miles away); Bethlehem Methodist-Episcopal Church South (approx. 4.4 miles away); John Tilley House (approx. 6 miles away); Cumberland Presbyterian Church (approx. 6½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canehill.

Other markers no longer nearby. Confederates Fall Back Before Union Assault (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been permanently removed); The Troops Who Fought at Cane Hill (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Fruit Cellar image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jason Armstrong, February 19, 2023

2. Fruit Cellar

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 2, 2024, by Jason Armstrong of Talihina, Oklahoma. This page has been viewed 294 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 2, 2024, by Jason Armstrong of Talihina, Oklahoma. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.