Historical Treasure: A samovar was a regular household accessory of its time

Long before access to hot water was so readily available, people have enjoyed a hot cup of tea or coffee with their breakfast. For our ancestors, the process was just a little more involved than turning on a tap. Of course, there was the old trusty kettle on the stovetop or pot over a fireplace method, but this week’s Historical Treasure takes us to a time of ornamental elements and luxurious home décor; the era of Neoclassical design.

The samovar was a regular household accessory of its time. An invention of Russia, the samovar is a metal container used to heat or boil water. Its name literally means, “self-brewer.” Designs vary greatly, but they all have some sort of a spigot and are usually made of brass or copper.

The copper samovar in the collection of the Vigo County History Center has a unique story. It was donated to the Historical Society by the family of Frank Prox in 2016. Frank was a young German immigrant who had come to Terre Haute in 1869 to work as manager at a distillery owned by Herman Hulman. Hulman had made Terre Haute the home of his wholesale grocery business and by this time had established several local investments.

Prox was a skilled mechanic, coppersmith and plumber and eventually moved on from the distillery to find his own calling. By 1900, he was the owner and operator of the largest foundry in the Midwest. Around 1890, Prox formed a partnership with John F. Brinkman and William Riley McKeen to establish his new business named Prox & Brinkman Manufacturing Co. that produced steam and hot water boilers.

The samovar gifted to the Historical Society was believed to have been given to Robert Prox, the grandson of Frank by Grace Ada Smith Hulman. The story goes, that Mrs. Hulman told Robert the Samovar had been crafted by her great-great grandfather.