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Teacher Resources...
Exhibit Highlights
Artifacts
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Bed Key...
A bed key is a tool used to facilitate the tightening of
the ropes on a rope bed. The forks of the key, placed to
strattle the rope between the pegs of the bed rails, is
then twisted to increase the tension on that part of the
rope. It was necessary to adjust the tension on the
ropes periodically, even as often as once every few
days, otherwise the rope would become loose and the
mattress would sag. "Sleep tight" refers to sleeping on
a tight rope with the body evenly supported, or to sleep
in comfort. |
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Handcuffs...
First appearing in the 4th century B.C. when conquering
Greeks found them among the baggage of the fleeting
Carthaginians, handcuff styles varied greatly throughout
the centuries. The early handcuffs in America were
mainly of British design. The word "handcuff" is a
popular corruption of the Anglo-Saxon "handcop" which
translates to "cops" or "catches" the hands. The
handcuffs that are pictured here are said to have been
used by George B. Brown, the first Sheriff of Fulton
County, elected in 1850. |
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Wagon Wrench… Used for wagons from
the 1800s into the early 1900s, the wagon wrench served
a dual purpose. The wrench was used as a pin to connect
the wagon to the "double tree" crossbar to which the
horses were harnessed. And, much like today’s tire iron,
the wagon wrench was also used to loosen and tighten the
nut that secured the wheel to the wagon body when the
wheel needed to be greased, fixed or replaced. |
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Candle Holder... These
candle holders were used on Christmas trees from 1870 to
1910. The ball on the end acts as a counterbalance for
the candle when they were placed on the Christmas tree
branches. |
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Peach Grader… This machine was made
by George Moesing in 1910. The operator pushed a pedal
and the peaches fell through and were sorted by size. Up
until the 1930s, peaches were graded as follows…
C = between 1 ¼" to 1 ½",
B = between 1 ½" to 2",
A = between 2" and 2 ¼" and
AA = more than 2 ¼". |
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Swamp Shoes… These wooden shoes were
similar to snow shoes, which helped a person walk on top
of the snow. These shoes, however, were to help get a
person through the mud! They were put on the feet of
horses or oxen to aid them in walking through the thick
mud of the Great Black Swamp!
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Cheese Bowl… This item probably
dates between 1880 to 1910. The holes in the base of the
bowl would have let air circulate around the cheese as
it was stored.
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Clay Marbles…
These particular ‘clay marbles’, from the
Sauder Village Collection, probably date from
the 1920s… although clay marbles have been around for a
very, very long time. This type of clay marble was used
prior to and after glass marbles were introduced since
glass marbles were too expensive for most people. Clay
marbles were great to play games with in the winter.
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Horse Tags… The ‘horse tags’
were used as livery checks at David Shoop’s stable in
Wauseon, OH. People coming into town stabled their horse
(& buggy) at Shoop’s Stable. The horse was assigned a
set of tags, each with the same number. One tag was kept
with the horse and the other tag was kept by the owner,
who redeemed it to claim his horse when it was time to
go home.
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Spooners… Dating from 1890 to 1920,
spooners, usually made of glass, were kept on the dining
table or kitchen counter to hold spoons, creating more
table space as well has keeping spoons handy for those
needing them throughout the day. |
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Lantern Slides… Introduced in 1849
(ten years after the invention of photograohy),
negatives printed onto glass rather than paper could be
projected and viewed by larger audiences, changing it
from the more intimate medium it had been. Originally
used for entertainment, lantern slides had the greatest
impact on educational lectures, especially in visual
disciplines like art and architecture. Images were often
hand-colored using special tints. Their popularity began
to decline in the 1950s with the invention of the easier
and less expensive methods of projection.> |
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German Noodle Cutter… Dating back to
the 1830 to 1850s, it is believed that the early
settlers brought this noodle cutter from Germany due to
the German inscription on the side of the machine. After
lifting the lid, the dough is places on the belt, below
the roller press. The crank is attached to a gear that
pulls the dough forward and a blade that cuts the dough
into a noodle every cycle of the wheel. Visit the Eicher
Cabin at Sauder Village and take a closer look at this
old-fashion kitchen gadget. |
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Compass… This
particular compass is from the mid 1800s. This small
compass belonged to Erie Sauder’s great-grandfather,
Joseph Sauder. Joseph used this compass to find his way
here when he moved from Pennsylvania to Northwest Ohio
in about 1840. He was one of the first pioneers to
settle in this part of the Great Black Swamp, now know
as German Township. |
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Howard German Tomatoes… Originating
in the Americas, this variety was taken back to the
"Old Country" and came back to the United States in
the early 1900s. With few seeds, low acidity and a meaty
texture, this tomato is versatile and easy to grow. Why
not try one in your own garden this year! Stop by the
Herb Shop and purchase one of these heirloom varieties
of tomatoes. |
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Telegraphy Machine… A mandatory
skill for all depot operators until the 1980s,
telegraphy was the nerve center of the railroad.
Railroad Morse Code… dots and dashes, tapped into the
telegraphy machine, allowed train movements to be
coordinated to avoid collisions with other trains as
well as the passing of orders and inventories for the
day. Some depots served as public telegraph stations
while others contracted with private companies like
Western Union. |
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Hand Agitator... Hand
agitators, also called laundry pluggers or stompers,
were developed in the 1800s. Before the 1800s, women
used a long stick or paddle to stir clothes boiled over
the fire in a kettle. With the development of washboards
in the late 1700s, laundry moved from the kettle to the
laundry tubs and the paddles had crossed boards or
stool-like stompers added to increase productivity.
These would eventually become the cone shape associated
with the laundry plunger. Plunger use and popularity
grew following the invention of the wringer (also called
a mangle) and developed into the short handled agitator
after the Civil War. Ultimately, the agitator would be
incorporated into the washing machine. This all-metal,
double cone hand agitator dates to the early 1870s and
shows signs of heavy use and repair. You can see this
item in the Stuckey Summer Kitchen in Pioneer
Settlement. |
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Chamber Pot...The chamber
pot was in common use in American homes through the end
of the 1800s and in areas without indoor plumbing well
into the early 1900s. The chamber pot, typically found
under the bed or in a washstand, was a portable toilet
used at night for young children or those who did not
want to go outside during bad weather when outhouses
were inaccessible, or in residences such as tenements
that had limited facilities. Chamber pots, made in a
variety of different forms, often included a lid and a
handle for carrying outside to empty. The earlier
chamber pots were made of metals such as tin, lead,
pewter, copper, silver and even gold - although
earthenware and delftware would come into common use by
the 1700s. Local tinsmiths used the designs found in
guidebooks like Thomas H. Quantrill's The Mechanic's
Calculator & Tinman's Guide published in 1847 when
creating them. Sauder Village's resident tinsmith used
the book to replicate this tin chamber pot, which is
part of the furnishings in the jail in Pioneer
Settlement. |
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Curfew...The curfew, or
ash cover, was a fireplace tool for covering the fire.
This metal cover promoted a slow burn of embers
preserving the fire overnight. The origin of the word
"curfew" comes from the French term "couvre-feu", which
means to cover the fire. The modern use of the word
"curfew" derives from a Middle Ages law requiring the
evening bells to be rung to signal it was time to
extinguish the lights and cover the fire. Historians
believe that this law was intended to prevent rebellious
nocturnal assemblies. Although repealed, the use of
curfew bells continued into modern times. The Sauder
Village tinsmith made this reproduction based on a
historic piece from Adams County, PA. The curfew is part
of the furnishings for the Witmer-Roth Home located in
Pioneer Settlement. |
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Wood Beam Boring Machine...
Mortise and tenon joints in large construction projects
such as barns were drilled using wood beam boring
machines like this one. These hand-operated machines
were adjustable for use at any angle. The operator sat
on the platform to hold the machine in place thus
leaving his hands free to crank the machine. This rare
double spindle called "The Boss" (manufactured ca.
1884-1893) is the ultimate mortise-boring machine,
featuring an all cast iron frame and a reversible two
speed head. Henry Cloyd of West Alexandria, OH invented
this double spindle design and received a patent on
December 19, 1882. The Buckeye Manufacturing Company,
Union City, IN originally made buggy parts, but soon
after added a line of specialty hardware including these
drills. The company moved to Anderson, IN in 1893. The
Lambert family, including John William Lambert, who
invented America's first gasoline powered automobile in
1891, founded the Buckeye Manufacturing Company in Union
City, a community that straddles the Ohio/Indiana
border. The company also made stationary steam engines,
farm implements and the Union and Lambert automobiles. |
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Typewriter... John Becker of Boston invented The World Type Writer, receiving a patent on October 12, 1886. Initially manufactured by The World Type Writer Co. of Maine, production moved to Pope Manufacturing Co., makers of Columbia Bicycles and Tricycles.
Henry Mill of England invented the first writing machine in 1714 with the first practical mechanical typewriter machine patented in 1868. Many of these early machines were expensive and complicated to use. The World Type Writer was a cheaper alternative to these other writing machines on the market. Indicator typewriters abandoned the budding idea of a keyboard in favor of a simpler and more direct alternative. It used a letter index with an indicator arm that users easily mastered. It worked by pointing at the letter with the swing arm and stamping the character onto the paper using a semicircular rubber type sheet. Additionally, it came in a simple box that made it easy to transport and store.
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Mouse Trap... J.H. Norris and L.B. Brown of Bradford Pennsylvania, invented this wood and tin mousetrap, called the Delusion. Sold from the 1880-1920s, the Delusion Mouse Trap, manufactured exclusively by the Lovell Manufacturing Company of Erie Pennsylvania, was a live trap.
The mouse entered the trap through the dome shaped door stepping onto the balancing tin platform, which closed the door. The mouse then crawled through the small side hole and became trapped in the main compartment. Once trapped in the main compartment, the trap would reset itself to trap the next mouse.
It was also marketed under the name “Catchemalive” instructing users to release their captives in a nearby field or woods.
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Syllabub Churn... Syllabubs were traditional English desserts made by churning fresh milk or cream, sugar, eggs and cider or wine until it becomes a frothy mixture. Developed during the Tudor dynasty (1485-1603), syllabubs remained a popular dessert in the United States through the 1800s. Today syllabubs are still popular in England and are made of whipped cream, sugar and white wines flavored with lemon or other fruit.
Tinsmith, Mike Runyon, made this reproduction Syllabub churn, which acts as a whisk and aerates the ingredients to create this dessert. This churn features a perforated dasher and works with an up and down movement. A small hole at the top near the dasher handle allows air to enter the cylinder. This churn can also be used to prepare fresh whipped cream.
Enjoy making this easy but elegant dessert at home by following this simple historic recipe. Take two porringers (about 2 cups) of cream and one cup of white wine (or cider), grate in the skin of lemon, take the whites of three eggs, sweeten to your taste, then whip it with a whisk (syllabub churn), take off the froth as it rises and put it into your syllabub glasses or pots, and they are fit for use. Reproduction syllabub churns are available through the tin shop.
(Recipe from American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, 1796)
For additional recipes: www.saudervillage.org/historic_recipes/syllabub_recipes.asp |
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Drum... Civil War drums called men to arms, rallied troops during marches and battles and entertained soldiers during their free time. This drum is a featured item in the new Civil War exhibit at Sauder Village.
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