Name/Title
Apple PeelerEntry/Object ID
2014.60.1033Description
Metal device known as an apple peeler or parer.
On one end, a vise with a wingnut screw holds the device to a flat surface such as a table or counter. On the side a wooden handle turns a large gear. That gear is connected via two more gears to a center column on a spring, with a horizontal blade at the end. It is also connected to a central shaft at the top of the parer with a three-pronged end.
On the base gear, from which the center column extends, is written “Patented – By H. Keyes June 17 & Dec. 16, 1856.”
When the handle is turned, it activates both the blade and the pronged end. An apple held on the pronged end would rotate around its core while the central blade would move to peel different parts of the apple on a cycle.Context
Patented and produced by Horatio Keyes in Leominster, MA, 1856-1857.Acquisition
Accession
2014.60Source or Donor
Barre Historical Society, Inc.Acquisition Method
TransferMade/Created
Manufacturer
Keyes, Horatio J. (1830-1904)Date made
circa 1856Place
City
LeominsterState/Province
MassachusettsCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North AmericaLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Tertiary Object Term
Peeler, FruitNomenclature Secondary Object Term
PeelerNomenclature Primary Object Term
Tool, Food CuttingNomenclature Sub-Class
Food Preparation EquipmentNomenclature Class
Food Processing & Preparation T&ENomenclature Category
Category 04: Tools & Equipment for MaterialsDimensions
Dimension Description
OverallWidth
8-1/2 inLength
7-1/2 inInterpretative Labels
Label
Apple Peeler, circa 1856
Horatio Keyes (1830-1904)
Leominster, MA
Cast iron, steel
Barre History Collection, #2014.60.1033
Apples have always been a core food product for Vermont, and many uses of apples require them to be peeled and cored. Introducing a mechanical device to the process speeds things up considerably, reducing the tedium of the task and preserving more of the apple’s flesh. There are dozens of potential variations on mechanical parers, including many homemade variations (see 1972.3.2 in this same exhibition), but this variation, patented by Horatio Keyes in 1856, introduced the idea of moving the paring arm around the apple via a geared turntable, a huge leap forward in speed and convenience.