By the late 1800s, it was common for a US kitchen to have a pie safe.

Some were fine factory craft by most were either local-made or homemade.

They often had vents of sheet tin and the builder used a nail to hand-punch the vent holes.

I think you will find that most of the pies were meat pies, which enabled a very small amount of beef or mutton to feed a whole family.

My pie safe is used to hold CDs now and stands nearly 6' tall.