Coffee Grinder from Gettysburg Museum

Coffee Grinder from the Gettysburg Museum. Click picture and "Detailed Description".

Being offered here is a 19^th century Coffee Grinder which was part of an early Gettysburg collection. It is the box mill type made of dove-tailed wood and cast iron. It measures approximately 7” x7” x 8” high (excluding the handle). There are no visible manufacture markings which was common for the era, having only the museum identification number which is “16023”.

 

This unique item is part of a grouping of Gettysburg related artifacts which were recently deacessed from the famous Rosensteel Collection, which was part of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum. George D. Rosensteel, a long time relic collector, established a Civil War museum in Gettysburg in 1921. He subsequently added the collection of John H. Rosensteel to the museum. John Rosensteel, George's uncle, lived through the 1863 battle and began gathering Gettysburg artifacts shortly thereafter. George’s daughter, Angela, married Lawrence Eckert in 1941, and began working at his father-in-law's National Museum. When the Rosensteel family sold the Ziegler's Grove property to the U.S. government in 1972, the family also donated the museum's collection to the National Park Battlefield Museum; this Gettysburg piece was part of that collection, having the museums markings.

 

These coffee grinders were popular during the 19^th century, being that they were the only means of crushing the whole beans. This example definitely seen some use; there would have been a drawer on the back to catch the ground coffee, but is no longer present. The iron grinder is attached with two replacement screws. It is still operational and makes a great display piece just as it is, with maybe a little cleaning, however, it wouldn’t take very much to have it restored to its original condition (definitely a worthy candidate with its history). I am keeping some of the items from this grouping for my personal collection and the possible inclusion in the next revision of my book Battle of Gettysburg – The Relics, Artifacts & Souvenirs. Truly a great piece of Gettysburg history.