Monadnock Moment No. 092

Multi Era 5 - 10: 1864 to Late 1970s

The Labor Saving Devices of David Goodell

Any of us who have used toasters, food processors, or electric can openers will appreciate the work of David Goodell. He was a pioneer in the development of labor saving devices for the kitchen. David Goodell grew up on his family's farm in Antrim, New Hampshire and attended local schools. He also attended Brown University until his health forced him to leave school in his sophomore year.

In 1864 Goodell invented and patented the "lightning apple parer," a device which peeled an apple faster and easier than could be done by hand. Goodell began to produce these machines in Antrim and sold them through a New York distributor. A few thousand of the parers were sold during the first two years. In 1867 Goodell went on the road to sell the product himself. He sold 24,000 parers in three weeks and the machine became known far and wide.

In addition to a variety of apple parers, the company also made apple slicers and corers, peach parers, potato parers, cherry pitters, a wide variety of cutlery, and a machine to aid farmers in planting seeds.

When Goodell passed away in 1915, his successful company employed 250 people. Although the firm expanded its line of products over the years, the original labor saving apple parer was known to generations of Americans and was still being produced by the Goodell Company in the late 197Os, 115 years after David Goodell invented it.