Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
Historic Treasure of the Week -
October 2, 1983
By Susie Dewey
Vigo County Historical Society
Early cider drinkers used power of press
The cider press is displayed in the Guy Stantz Room of the museum. The cider press was a gift from Georgia Price of West Terre Haute who in 1978 presented the press, a grain cradle (reaper) and a broad axe to the Vigo County Historical Society in memory of Preston H. Price.
The cider press was used until recently. The device rests on a stand with a hand-turned grinder on the upper shelf. A small barrel below caught the crushed apples which were then pressed to exude juice.
The first settlers brought cider to America. In England, cider was defined as a fermentation of apple juice with .25 to 8 percent alcohol. Cider mills legally sold only apple juice. American settlers divided cider into hard and sweet. In England, cider is hard, containing alcohol, and is sold in rural pubs where it is subject to laws and regulations. Sweet cider in America is legally only apple juice, usually pasteurized to meet Food and Drug regulations.
The cider mill in which the apples were chopped and bruised was an essential part of the press. The mill roller was sometimes a wooden roller with knobs. The roller in 20th century presses is often stainless steel. Earlier cider drinkers thought that metal contaminated the cider and spoiled the flavor. The apples were chopped into a rich pomace called “cheese.” The milling kept the juice rich and the best cider makers believed that the more slowly the apples were bruised, the richer the juice. The cheese was then pressed for the juice. The remaining pulp was sometimes used for apple butter.
In October cider mills and presses are turning in Indiana. The machines that produce it are remnants of a simple and rural society. At one time almost every farm had its own cider press.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.