A spring house, or springhouse, is a small building used for refrigeration

Refrigeration

Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...

 once commonly found in rural areas before the advent of electric refrigeration. It is usually a one-room building constructed over the source of a spring

Spring (hydrosphere)

A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...

. The water of the spring maintains a constant cool temperature inside the spring house throughout the year. In settings where no natural spring is available, another source of natural running water, such as a small creek or diverted portion of a larger creek, may be used. The main use of a spring house is for the long-term storage of food that would otherwise spoil, such as meat, fruit or dairy products.

The Tomahawk Spring

Tomahawk Spring

Tomahawk Spring is a historic spring house located near Martinsburg, at Tomahawk, Berkeley County, West Virginia. It was built about 1860 on the stone foundation of a previous building. It is a one story, wood frame structure atop a three feet tall stone foundation in two sections...

 spring house at Tomahawk, West Virginia

Tomahawk, West Virginia

Tomahawk is an unincorporated town on Back Creek in Berkeley County, West Virginia. The community is named for a nearby spring in the shape of a tomahawk...

 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

in 1994.