It might be hard to believe, but at the turn of the last century, a simple kitchen cabinet featured more convenience than virtually anything offered today.

A cook could stand at a pull-out worktop and have everything handy to sift, stir and knead a loaf of bread, and not take a step until she put it in the oven. In the same spot, she could store that good bread in a mouse-proof drawer, slice and chop the dinner vegetables, be confident that ants would stay out of the sugar and that dust would not get into the pots and pans.

The multi-tasking cabinet she used so efficiently might well have been made by the Hoosier Manufacturing Co. of New Castle, Ind., which beginning in 1903 was the first to offer the innovative kitchen storage and workspace that came to be known, generically, as a hoosier. Between 1910 and 1935, the company went on to become the largest producer of hoosiers by far, though other companies -- many of them in Indiana -- joined the competition.

The humble design has shown remarkable staying power. Faithful reproductions and nostalgic interpretations found on the market today echo the charm and utility of the old hoosiers.

"When I was a child, many of my great-aunts and other family members had them in their kitchens," said Robert Maynard, an antiques dealer in Westminster, Md., who restores old hoosiers for his own pleasure and sometimes for resale. "Our family was big on food, and many baked-goods originated from those hoosiers."

The years around the turn of the 20th century saw the introduction of the first modern kitchen cabinets. Before this most kitchens were fitted with separate worktables, pie safes and pantries, which required a lot of traveling from one place to the next to assemble a meal. Newer innovations were basically bakers' cabinets with bins for flour, meal and sugar. They consisted of a base about two feet deep and a storage hutch a foot deep or so sitting on top. They had one-piece or two-piece construction, fixed worktops and open shelves in the top section.

In 1903, the Hoosier company, which made bakers' cupboards, hired Harry Hall to be general manager of the company's manufacturing operation. Over the next few years, Hall reconfigured the hoosier to make it a true work center.

Company designers separated the top and bottom sections, allowing for a top to slide out and double the work space. They incorporated a flour bin into the top section, fitted with a sifter so the cook could sift and measure at the same time. They enclosed the open space above with doors, protecting the contents from dust. They added a bread drawer and containers for staples below.

By 1916, other manufacturers such as McDougall, Sellers, Napanee, Boone and many smaller companies had brought out their own versions of the handy hoosier. Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Montgomery Ward also sold work-center cabinets made for them by several manufacturers.

The Hoosier company boosted sales further by offering an installment plan. A buyer could join a club and pay $1 down and $1 a week in "dues" to start enjoying a new cabinet right away, and not have to save up her butter-and-egg money to pay cash.

Many furniture dealers of the period were reluctant to sell kitchen cabinets, so Hoosier developed a network of exclusive dealers backed up by an advertising campaign in women's magazines and even the Saturday Evening Post. If a buyer lived too far from a dealer, the company would ship to the nearest freight point.

Whatever the maker, the quality cabinets of this era had several features in common: a center storage compartment that could be closed off; bins and lidded jars for sugar, coffee, tea and spices; and a metal flour bin with sifter, all in the top section. The base cabinet would typically include a metal-lined bread drawer plus shelves for pots and pans. Most also had cutlery drawers, and some included storage bins for potatoes and onions. The worktops, originally wood, then zinc-covered, evolved into a choice between aluminum and "porceliron" (porcelain-enameled steel), then exclusively porceliron.

Boone, a manufacturer in Lebanon, Ind., took hoosier gadgets to an extreme: Boone cabinets included a fold-out ironing board, a fold-out stool, a wind-up alarm clock, a mirror, a coffee grinder, a desk with pigeonholes and a little pencil drawer.

The cabinets of most manufacturers came with various interior fittings. Some had printed shopping lists and timing charts with movable indicators; many had cookbook holders, spice racks and racks on the bottom door for pot lids. Most came with some sort of collection of glassware for storage.

By the 1920s, Hoosier alone had sold about 2 million of the handy cabinets and also carried tables, chairs, sideboards and a clever stool that, when flipped over, became a stepladder.

Decoration was not neglected. Cabinets were usually oak or maple, naturally finished or enameled in pastels or stained fanciful colors, and they were often enhanced with decorative stencils or included etched-glass inserts. The cabinets of the '30s showed a definite art deco influence.

The Great Depression marked the beginning of the end for the freestanding cabinet. Sales slowed and factories scaled back production. During World War II, the materials that had been used in cabinets were consumed by the war effort. The few that were built after World War II had a 1950s flavor but lacked the work-saving features that made the early versions so successful.

The modern marketplace is witnessing something of a hoosier revival. Contemporary kitchen design increasingly incorporates freestanding furniture in "country-style" kitchens. Some of these pieces show a clear design link to the old hoosiers, targeted to buyers who can't find an original hoosier in good condition and aren't up to a lengthy restoration process.

And it can be hard to find an original hoosier in good condition. The hard-working cabinets tended to become battered and worn. Most of the old ones found on the market -- on eBay, in antiques stores and at flea markets -- are in "restorable" (sometimes really rough) or restored condition. One source for already renovated hoosiers is Keep It Country Antiques in Prairie Grove, Ark., run by Joe and Brenda Velten, who restore 60 to 80 of the cabinets each year (877-846-3565; www.keepitcountryantiques.com).

Maynard has restored five hoosiers in the past two years and has several more in his garage awaiting his attention. He uses one as a desk in his office. (To see the transformation of one of Maynard's old hoosiers, go to www.myoldattic com/klearfront.html.)

There are several sources for a custom-ordered Amish-made reproduction of a 1917 hoosier that is faithful to the original. Glenda Lehman Ervin, of Lehman's, an outlet in Kidron, Ohio, says that one customer ordered one unfinished so she could stain it to match her kitchen (888-438-5346; www.lehmans.com). Ervin says, "Our customers, however, do purchase these cabinets to use."

Newly made examples are also available closer to Washington at the Amish Peddler in New Wilmington, Pa. (724-946-8034; www.amish-peddler.com/hoosier).

Modern interpretations are available at a number of retail sources. Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma both have versions of hoosiers: Crate & Barrel has a number of base cabinets mounted on legs for the freestanding look (800-967-6696; www.crateandbarrel.com). Williams-Sonoma features a model with a porcelain-enameled top and open shelves above (877-812-6235; www.williams-sonoma.com).

Plow & Hearth, a mail-order source, has added its take on a hoosier, called a Conestoga Cabinet (800-627-1712; www.plowandhearth.com). "It has a modern-day appeal with a warm country look," says marketing manager Barbara Jenkins, adding that the humble design "epitomizes the true essence of country living."