Many people turn to coffee in the morning to help wake them up. Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, you would usually grind your own coffee beans rather than buy them pre-ground. That’s what this is – a coffee grinder, more specifically, a box grinder which usually consisted of a crank and a large wooden box that would catch the coffee grinds. Box grinders were commonly found on the countertops of country stores, but were also meant for domestic use. In fact, manufacturers tried to market these to men to give to their wives in order to make their lives easier and more pleasant.

This particular coffee grinder was manufactured by the Enterprise Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia, founded in 1864. This company specialized in making hardware products and were best known for their cherry pitters, apple peelers, and coffee grinders. The company even published “The Enterprising Housekeeper” by Helen Louise Johnson in 1898 which included recipes and tips for housewives, using appliances made by the company of course. The company remained in business until 1956 when it was bought by Silex Company.