Hi Penny - You just described my house! We don't use the pump outside, and we do have a real refridgerator. :-D We replaced the furnace with hot water heating, but there isn't any way to get rid of that cistern. I think the house might fall down if we did! I think the root cellar holds up the front porch... Kathy <<Not sure how old our farm was but know that it was bought by my great grandmother. We had a coal furnace, cisten in the cellar with a root cellar as well where My Grandmother kept all the veggies in dirt and all the canned goodies on shelves that were so full of everything you could think of. The well pump outside, pump in the kitchen, icebox in the kitchen. We were one of the lucky families with an indoor bathroom. >>