A look at utensil urns

The Harlan-Lincoln House holds a large number of artifacts in its collection from the Harlans, the Lincolns, or from the late 19th and early 20th centuries including many examples of dining ware and cook ware in what has been made into the dining room of the House.

One of the more curious members of this collection is a pair of utensil urns. These are no small items: their egg-like shapes stand over two feet tall, and nearly three feet in circumference at its widest, with square bases eight inches in length. Their old wooden structures once had vivid gold painted trim and line work, now faded to an unassuming pale yellow, faded over the years of use and display.

They were manufactured some time between 1905 and 1910 by the historic furniture company Berkey and Gay, from their large factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Urns such as these were unique fixtures for most homes, though examples of these urns can be seen as early as the mid-18th century. A major advantage to this kind of device was the ability to add drying salts to the body of the urns in an effort to keep its contents from tarnishing.