Olden Days: The Cave

Back in the “Olden Days” when I was a kid, most farm homes had a cave. It was conveniently located not far behind the house for quick access from the kitchen. It was a real necessity, since there was no electricity in most rural homes, and, of course, no refrigerator. We didn’t even have an ice box to keep things cool. Likewise, few farm homes had a basement for storing fruits and vegetables. Our cave was probably about 8 feet wide, perhaps 15 feet long and dug into the ground about 6 feet deep. It had a cement floor and the interior was brick with an arched roof, also neatly built of brick. There were a couple feet of dirt mound over the outside, so everything was reasonably cool all summer long. Being underground it also was warm enough