The Springhouse

The Springhouse. The Schrader Springhouse once preserved the labors of the farm, garden and kitchen.. , Before the days of refrigeration, cool water emerging from this spring kept food fresh. The structure over the spring provided cooling shade, protection from animals, and storage space., A springhouse contained cans filled with milk, crocks or mason jars filled with butter, meat, and perhaps a large pickle jar. Baskets of potatoes, onions, and other produce lined shelves. A metal dipper hung from the wall for those needing a cool drink., Charles and Mary Schrader immigrated from Germany in 1851, eventually purchasing 160 acres along Potato Creek. Their son Charles and his wife Elizabeth took over the farm and developed a successful livestock breeding operation. The farm stayed in the Schrader family until the state purchased it to create the park in the 1970s., Springhouses were small, usually with one door and a small window. Inside the house, a wood or concrete trough contained the cold water as it ran through the building., Twelve springs flowed on this 160 acre farm, leading the owners to name it Springdale Farm. Springs occur when water percolating through a porous layer comes into contact with an impermeable layer. Unable to sink further into the ground, the water emerges, forming a spring. Potato Creek's glacial outwash (rocks, sand and gravel) provides the porous surface layer. , The groundwater of a spring maintains a constant cool temperature as opposed to surface water whose temperature fluctuates with the air temperature., This springhouse reconstructed by the Friends of Potato Creek is built on the original foundation using native materials and period techniques.