Historical Museum

Butter Churn

Butter has always been an important food on the American family's table, but making it required time and energy. Butter churns with plungers or dashers have been around a long time, but starting in the mid-19th century there were several new types of butter churns invented. One had a crank-type handle on the side; another rocked the churn.

The churn above was set inside a glass jar. It's only about 10 ½ " long from top to bottom. The crank turns the paddles inside. It is sometimes called a Daisy-wheel churn.
This churn was used between 1920-1930.

To learn more about making butter in the early pioneer days, go to:

http://waltonfeed.com/old/butter.html