The root cellar is an original feature of the Wisner Farm, constructed at or around the same time as Moses Wisner built the house and the rest of his farm in the 1850’s. It is unusually large for a root cellar in Oakland County.

Root Cellar Entrance, ca 1970

Root cellar Entrance ca 1970

In the 19th and early 20th century, root cellars served as both a refrigerator in the summer and a warm room in the winter. They were (and are) used to store root vegetables such as beets, potatoes, turnips and carrots. Onions were hung from the ceiling, while root vegetables were packed into boxes and layered with sand to keep them dry and bug free.

The entrance doors hide a stairway leading down seven steps. The arched roof overhead is about 8 feet high at its top. There is a rubble stone foundation up to about 4 feet, then the brick arched walls run up and across the ceiling to the other wall. These upper walls are whitewashed. The floor is packed earth. There is a ventilation window at the rear of the cellar, which is kept closed.

These images were taken as part of the structure’s rededication in September, 1965.

Root Cellar Doorway	Root Cellar Dedication, September 1965	Jar and jug collection along wall
Barrels and crates along wall	Barrels and crates along wall	Root cellar rear and side wall

The “hill” offers both insulation and protection for the roof. It puts weight on the arch, compressing and strengthening it, while also offering weather protection and insulation. The grass and dirt layer is between 1 and 2 feet thick.

Along the inside walls, shelving provides storage for jarred or bottled canned goods. Today, it houses an impressive 19th and 20th century jar and jug collection.

Sometime before 1961, the roof of the root cellar collapsed, leaving only the door frame and foundation walls standing. From 1962 to 1965, the historical society worked with Local 39 of the Bricklayers and Masons International Union to rebuild the roof using the original bricks, as part of a training and apprenticeship program. It was dedicated and opened in September, 1965.

Collapsed root cellar – Doorway – 1961	Root cellar from driveway showing Barn – 1961
Root Cellar Reconstruction ca. 1963-1964	Root cellar reconstruction – 1963-1964