Usually when I'm stumped I turn to the internet, but this time that approach proved to be a total flop! Let me start at the beginning. Lynn, the LOML, comes from a fairly long line of coopers. On her mother's side, in name only, so that would be a capital "C" Cooper. On her father's side, however, her great and great-great grandfathers made a living as coopers. Not the whisky barrel (wet) type, but DRY coopers. They made barrels to hold and ship potash to market. Back in the first half of the 1800's, folks in this area found out that they could make more money burning hardwood to make potash than they could make farming, so they did this all winter, and farmed in the warmer weather. Well, until all the trees were gone, anyway!

   But I digress! Lynn has developed an interest in cooperage. Any kind of cooperage. Last summer we were having a discussion with a gentleman who has a maple syrup farm on a piece of land once occupied by Lynn's ancestors, who produced apples at the time. He told us that there was still at least one apple barrel in the barn. Lynn offered to buy it, but he refused to take anything for it, so now we have an old apple barrel, which will be turned into something to clutter up our home!

   So now, I have cleaned it up as much as I dare, and would like to replace the (missing) lid, but can't fins ANY info on "Apple barrel" on the web. So my question is: Does anyone here know anything about these items?

 

The staves are roughly 1/2" thick, the barrel is 21 3/4" tall and 15" across. The bands are wood held together with interlocking notches. No rivets or hardware of any kind!

 

The bottom is set into a groove the same way as a wet barrel. The open top end, however, only has the inside taper, so no way to hold a lid. Any ideas?

Can you turn a piece that matches that taper, just to sit in there? That might be a fairly large piece to turn, plus I'm not sure that taper is all that consistent around the edge.

Thanks Fred. I'll probably end up doing that, whether I turn it or cut a circle on the bandsaw, and fit a "finished" top to that. This could then be lifted out so that the barrel can be used as a storage place. (Maybe to hide my supply of Screech?) I'd still like to know how these containers were closed, though.

Maybe they weren't (closed)?

1 hour ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Maybe they weren't (closed)?

Never thought about that! I just assumed that they would be. I DID find a few pictures of similar barrels with lids, but that may have been added later.

2 hours ago, HARO50 said:

Does anyone here know anything about these items?

IIRC they were used to hold apples...or maybe apple donuts.

Smart aleck response aside...cool find and even more cool story John.

 

Any signs of tack marks? Maybe the top was like a flour sack, burlap or some other material since these were dry goods.

1 hour ago, Grandpadave52 said:

IIRC they were used to hold apples...or maybe apple donuts.

I guess you could fit almost a whole day's worth of donuts in there! 

 

1 hour ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Any signs of tack marks?

None whatsoever! I'm starting to wonder if these were just used in stores to hold apples for sale. And I know what you're thinking, but NO, there's no sign of oil stains, so they were'nt used to hold donuts!

Edited June 22, 20241 yr by HARO50

3 hours ago, HARO50 said:

He told us that there was still at least one apple barrel in the barn.

 

Is it an apple barrel or just a barrel bought and used on their farm for apples.  If there is no groove for the lid I would suspect there was no lid.

 

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/decorative-objects/vases-vessels/jars/19th-century-french-wooden-barrel/id-f_39018292/?allowUniversalLink=no&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7NmzBhBLEiwAxrHQ-Q6c8xVprWmpIJjvb-gfpmoaVHHO3bfYCEuFOIrsPbi2_jOpRelDRhoCBGIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

 

 

Edited June 22, 20241 yr by HandyDan

I think that it may have been a display Barrel and had a loose fit lid with handle in the middle. Not sure if apples keep in enclosed area as they do offgas. That is a amazing find.

Maybe a barrel made from apple wood, as it would be abundant in an apple orchard.

 

 

Thanks, @lew, but that was the first video I watched. It's a whisky barrel made of apple wood! False advertising, if you ask me.

I agree that if there is no top groove, there was likely no lid in the traditional sense.

 

Now I wonder what happened to my old potato barrel.... My parents bought two in Aroostook County Maine when we lived there in the mid 1980's.  They were in regular agricultural use even then and were single use surplus when they bought them.  I had one, my sister got the other..... got to go up to the other house and look for it in the old cow shed, I think that is where I left it but it might have fallen to my ex's habit of assuming some of my old treasures were old junk!

The way the top bands are cut makes it look almost Shaker like. Neat ole barrel!

Perhaps it's not an apple barrel. I did a search and I am coming up a "Flour Barrel" is more similar, such as the number and pattern of wood hoops, and if it is a flour barrel, the beveled edge would receive a beveled edge lid? I know the barrel here I am showing has an inset lid, but I'd lean more to a Flour barrel? If you look for flour barrels you'll see more similarities than an apple barrel.

 

https://reedsauctionco.hibid.com/lot/119543175

 

 

Thanks, John. I'll have to look into those. The next time we head east, I'll see if the donor has any more info on the barrel.

5 hours ago, DuckSoup said:

The way the top bands are cut makes it look almost Shaker like. Neat ole barrel!

Yes, Bob, that thought occurred to me too. There IS a Shaker presence in the area, as well as Mennonite, so it's quite possible.

Piggy backing on John's assessment, perhaps it initially was a flour (or other staple) then re-purposed into an apple sales barrel. Not that far fetched considering how thrifty those old general store keepers were. Just a random thought which seems to be my prevalent daily thought pattern.

Is it possible those barrels are just a stock production...used for whatever the end buyer wants?

4 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Is it possible those barrels are just a stock production...used for whatever the end buyer wants?

At this point, Fred, anything is possible!

13 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Just a random thought which seems to be my prevalent daily thought pattern.

At least you're still thinking!