Living and Dining Room

Because tenant houses were relatively small, many of their living areas were open so the areas seemed larger. In the Hampton floor plan, the living and dining rooms were connected to create an open space for entertainment. After a long day working on the farm, the farmer would come home to a nice meal made by his wife and the family would sit in the dining room and eat. After dinner they may decide to listen to some music on the phonograph or read a book.

Phonograph

One of the objects that can be found in the living room that was used for entertaining the family is the Sonora Phonograph. This is a record player that families could use to listen and dance to music for entertainment. There were several brands that made phonographs but the Sonora brand stood out for being “the instrument of quality” and having sound “clear as a bell” according to the company motto. The ornamental design of the phonographs made them a decoration piece as well as being functional.

Kitchen

One of the objects that can be found in the living room that was used for entertaining the family is the Sonora Phonograph. This is a record player that families could use to listen and dance to music for entertainment. There were several brands that made phonographs but the Sonora brand stood out for being “the instrument of quality” and having sound “clear as a bell” according to the company motto. The ornamental design of the phonographs made them a decoration piece as well as being functional.

Ice Box

Today’s refrigerators are run by electricity to keep food and drinks cool. Since electricity didn’t become available to farms until the late 20’s, early 30’s, they had to find other ways to keep their food cool. Their refrigerators were called ice boxes as they were essentially a box that held a block of ice and the food they wanted to keep cool. Blocks of ice were cut no smaller than 8 inches thick and transported in sawdust to help keep the ice from melting. Many houses had a small access door on the outside directly to the icebox so the iceman could deliver blocks of ice without having to go through the house since they both were often dirty.

Cream Separator

Dairying was becoming an important part of farm work. Milking the cows was a daily chore. The milk was sold to market but was also used at home to create other dairy products. Cream separators were used by farmers’ wives to skim the cream off of milk that would not only leave skim milk behind but also allowed the cream to be used for other products. This cream could be used for making butter, ice cream, or just selling the cream itself. Since farmers had to milk their cattle all season long, this allowed for more income they might have missed out on with just selling the whole milk itself.

Bedroom

Bedrooms are much like today in that they have a place for sleeping and storage space for clothing. This bedroom is one of three in this house. This bedroom as well as one other included a closet space whereas the third one did not. Bedroom sets were common furniture in bedrooms. Dressers and wardrobes were commonly used to store clothing.

Also located in the room, hanging on the wall, is the marriage license of I. Floyd Garrott and his wife Edith Baker who funded the move of this house to its current location. In summer 2017, the house was restored through donations from I. Floyd Garrott’s granddaughter, Nola Gentry.

Bedroom Set

The bedroom set which includes the bed, a wardrobe, and a vanity were all made from Shower Brothers Company located in Bloomington, Indiana. This company claimed to be “America’s largest furniture maker.” By the 1920s, it was estimated that they had made about 60% of all of America’s furniture. These pieces as well as the baby crib, high chair, and bath cradle were donated by the William Henry and Marcella Clair Schulfe family from Schererville, Indiana. The couple’s wedding photo can be found on the vanity.

Restoration

When the house was brought to The Farm in 2004, it was in need of restoration. The house was restored to bring it back to its original look through several donations from Nola Gentry and then named in honor of her grandfather, I. Floyd Garrott. During the process of renovating, new wallpaper was added to the walls. Extensive research through old catalogs and interior design books from the 1920s was done to find appropriate wallpaper. When an outlet panel was removed, some of the original wallpaper from when it was first built was found. The old wallpaper compared to the new wallpaper is remarkably close with similar floral patterns and color schemes. This comparison can be found on the wall, near the bed.