Each Cracker Barrel location is uniquely decorated with real American artifacts, memorabilia and signage, painstakingly collected by our own Americana expert, Larry Singleton and his team. They make our walls a special tribute to our nation’s rich and colorful history.
While it may look like a common plunger, this tool was actually used to manually agitate clothes in a washtub, the widely practiced method of laundering clothes and linens. Circa 1910.
Wire racquets were used to clean rugs, which were hung out on a clothesline and vigorously beat to get out the dirt and dust. Though the use of vacuum cleaners has become widespread, this technique is still common. Circa 1915.
In order to prevent burns and discomfort, this wooden stick was used to lift wet clothes out of extremely hot water after manually laundering in a washtub. Circa 1930.
Before the electric washing machine, this device was used to wring the water out of wet clothes after manually washing them, and was used with a hand washer or washboard. Circa 1898.
Hay hooks, a rope-and-pulley device, were attached to the exterior of a barn and used to lift large hay bales into the upper lofts, where they would be kept in storage for later use. Circa 1930.
A simple flotation device, buoys are commonly used on seafaring fishing boats, and are attached to submerged lobster traps to aid in the retrieval of the catch. Circa 1950.
These barrels were used in the transport of nails and other hardware materials. One might hold half the nails it takes to build a Cracker Barrel! Circa 1925.
Lights of this kind were used on board the port and starboard sides of a variety of shipping vessels. Circa 1930.
This device was used to mash and pulverize cabbage, tomatoes and other vegetables and fruits for canning purposes, preserving harvests for storage through leaner winter months. Circa 1930.
As useful today as it ever was, this rolling pin was used to roll out dough to make biscuits. Just like mom used to, that’s how Cracker Barrel made their biscuits in the early days. Circa 1940.
Clocks such as this had a place in almost every home. Most models required that they be wound by hand. They were often referred to as a kitchen or mantle clock.
Kraut cutters were used to slice cabbages when making kraut, which could be pickled and stored for extended periods of time. Circa 1930.
Families and friends all over the country would gather around old AM tube radios like this, often listening to the Grand Ole Opry® WSM radio station. For decades, virtually all our news and entertainment came through the radio. Circa 1945.
The mantle in every Cracker Barrel location is adorned with a similar shotgun. Shotguns were an important tool to many, and were kept hanging over the mantle for quick access, with the mantle often being a central location in the house.
The use of wooden containers was the way everything was shipped before plastic, cardboard and packing tape. Boxes and barrels like these were used to ship a wide variety of products.
As more and more homes were connected to electricity, people began moving away from using wood stoves and kerosene heaters to heat their homes, and began to use electric space heaters such as these. Circa 1940.