About the Model

Thomas Elkins was a physical, antislavery activist, and a prolific inventor in Albany, New York. This invention received the Certificate of Highest Merit at the New York State Agricultural Fair in 1880. Within the refrigerator there was a small compartment made from earthenware, called the chilling box, that kept the items inside cold. Holes on the bottom of the case allows air to circulate inside the refrigerator. To start the chilling process, water was poured into the side funnel.