Chrisholm Cellar

Chrisholm Cellar. Augspurgers' Refrigerato. The Chrisholm cellar is unlike any house cellar existing in Butler County today. Constructed to accommodate multiple uses it was primarily a place to store and preserve food grown on the farm. There are two separate entrances, one through a stairwell from inside the home and a much larger and wider entrance from the outside yard. This outside cellar entrance would have made it easier for workers to go in and out with large barrels of food or drink, without disturbing the activities of the household., The cellar consists of four rooms with enough windows to accommodate work activities. The most important space, the root cellar, is four feet lower than the other rooms and has a dirt floor and a beautiful barrel vault ceiling. A steady year round temperature of 58 degrees would have ensured optimal conditions for the preservation of food, wine and whiskey., Effective ventilation was the key to a healthy household and a productive root cellar. A ventilation shaft located along the bottom right side of the back wall made air circulation through cases and barrels of vegetables more effective. It was believed at the time of its use that when stored together, vegetables generated heat that caused the release of harmful gases into the air. Vegetables would have been submerged in sand inside crates or barrels to prevent this. Augspurger inventory records suggest the cellar was used to store produce, wine, whiskey, milk, butter, meats and cheese. Hooks imbedded into the vault provided a place for hanging cured meats.