Pea Huller
Many old stories begin on front porches with Grandma shelling peas. While many people find a tranquil peace as they remove fresh peas from their hulls, acres of pea plants meant hours and hours of labor removing the peas from their cozy pods. To remedy that situation, companies such as Gardner invented clever devices to greatly decrease the time and energy spent shelling.
This Gardner Pea Huller was patented in 1899 and manufactured in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Claud Waller of Velvet Ridge, AR, used this specific pea huller and it was donated to OIRM by Evalene Williams.
To use the pea huller, whole pods were dumped into the large hopper atop the huller. As the peas passed over a spinning barrel directly beneath, little wooden dowels protruding from the barrel would keep the hulled peas from bunching together. Once separated, the peas would pass through two parallel rollers that would squeeze the hull just enough to force the peas to shoot out into the basket below the rollers, but not enough to injure the peas. Hulls exited on one side of the hopper and the shallow basket of peas slid to the opposite side to be dumped before re-inserting the empty basket.
OIRM is showcasing this beautiful example of ingenuity in its exhibit in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution called “A Taste of Community”. We thank the Waller and Williams families for donating this outstanding artifact for our exhibit. Come by any time between 9:00 and 5:00 Tuesday through Saturday to gaze admiringly at the Gardner Pea Huller and the remainder of our exhibit. We look forward to seeing you.
