root cellar – Chester County Dwell

Root Cellars: Naturally Cool

By Margaret Gilmour

Ever since ancient times, root cellars have provided cultures with the means to store food throughout the seasons.

Nowadays they’re back in style, so to speak, their popularity due partly to our own desires to hold onto summer’s harvest as long as possible.

You can still locate root cellars in Chester County, many ranging in size from three to four feet square, to large domed spaces suitable for hoarding enough winter provisions for several families.

The revival of this old custom makes for healthier, more sustainable eating since the in-ground cellars make it possible to stockpile fresh foods purchased at local farms or farmers’ markets (if you aren’t growing your own).

They are also an energy-saving convenience providing easy access to our harvested ingredients–-there’s’ no need to jump in our cars and run to the food mart before preparing a meal.

In Chester County, root cellars have been around since the first settlers made this fertile region their home—that’s before William Penn established the area in 1682.

Since practical refrigerators weren’t introduced until 1915, and still not widely used for at least 15 years later in the ‘30s, root cellars were necessary household accessories until they were replace by the refrigerator. They provided natural, cold storage to successfully keep perishables intact.

The first root cellars weren’t made in basements. In fact, the earliest farmhouses had only dirt floors and no “foundation-room,” or basement, with the entire house resting directly on the ground.

But the root cellars were underground rooms, and placement varied; most were built within arm’s reach, or at least within close proximity to the house. The cellar had its own chimney that helped keep dampness out and the scent of fragrant, smoked meats and just-harvested foods in.

Cool, dry temperatures and lots of ventilation is needed to keep produce, canned food and cured meets fresh in the cellar. Some humidity, too, halts produce from drying up, and darkness keeping produce from sprouting.

There are three basic types of outdoor root cellars: Hillside, which were dug into a hillside to encourage natural drainage from the spring thaw or heavy rains, and lined with rocks and wood beams for support. Regular, well-insulated doors made for easy, walk-in access.

A hatch cellar is dug into the earth too. Most have dirt floors, a hatch door for entry, and a ladder or stairs leading the way down to the storage area.

The third type, an above ground cellar, can still be seen locally along the countryside. They look similar to spring houses, or a Hobbit house built with a frame of wood or stone, and topped with sod concealing it from above.

You can see how these underground rooms made for good hiding spaces for slaves, especially those eventually built in the basement of a home. Actually, many basement root cellars had escape routes leading through a shallow well built for this reason, and were commonly used a safe haven/stop over for slaves in Chester County’s Underground Railroad.

To build your own root cellar, this book is devoted entirely to the matter, and goes into great depth detailing the storage process, along with the best staples suited for in-ground storage.