Artifact Archive

Scale

This scale was manufactured by the American company Detecto in 1942. Now based out of Webb City, Missouri, Detecto was founded in 1900 in New York City. They produced scales for a variety of uses and professions, such as doctors, butchers, and bakers. This particular scale was used by bakers to weigh their dough.

Apple Parer

This artifact is a common household apple parer, or peeler as they are known today. This simple mechanism had a very simple function: to peel the skin off apples. While such a device might easily be taken for granted today, before the 1860s this had to be done manually with a knife. While numerous patents for similar devices began appearing as early as 1803, David Harvey Goodell of New Hampshire invented the first mechanical apple parer that we would recognize today in 1864, which he...

Egg Incubator

This artifact is a chicken egg incubator. Incubators became a key piece of technology for chicken farmers as they could greatly increase an eggs likelihood of hatching by creating a controlled environment for temperature and humidity. Incubators benefited both larger commercial operations but also helped out small farms who would otherwise lose their eggs hatchability if their Hen passed. This incubator was made by the Buckeye Incubator Company, likely during the 1920s. Buckeye was first...

MILK STRAINER

This artifact is a milk strainer, separator or “cream harvester”. The device’s function is to take raw milk and separate its cream and skimmed milk content. The device operates by intensifying the gravitational spin via centrifugal force. Using crank implements to magnify the human input and a sturdy bowl to stand high continuous high speed rotations. Like many labour saving devices the design was meant to enable women and children to contribute. The supply can was placed...

SELF-LOCKING CARTON

This artifact is a press to create self-locking egg cartons. Prior to the invention of self-locking cartons eggs had to be kept wrapped or secured loosely. This issue became especially problematic in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when transport infrastructure improvements greatly increased the amount of distance a product could need to travel. The distinct need for a safe and efficient container led to innovations. The first egg carton was patented by British...

Washing Machine

This artifact is an old pre-electricity washing machine. Washers like these were designed to create a greater efficiency in labour and resources than hand washing clothing. These types of designs began to crop up in the middle of the nineteenth-century and became common in many households, rural and otherwise. The design of the washer gave the user a large basin to place clothes and water in, saving time over small buckets. The big advantage, however, was that the hand crank connected to...

Treadle Scroll Saw

This antique scroll saw used a treadle, similar to old sewing machines, to power the motion of the saw. The user would place their feet on the pedals and alternate steps creating a rocking machine that spun the lower gear. Once moving the gear would power other gears through a leather belt, the end result creating a fully functioning “automatic” saw in an era prior to electricity. This compact design was distributed by Millers Fall under the “New Rogers” name. This...

Cutting Box

Referred to as a “Cutting Box” this contraption functioned largely as a homemade wood-chipper, although it could be used to break apart other items such as corn silage. The engine and core components come from Monarch manufacturing in Dunnville, Haldimand County, Ontario but much of the machine was likely macgyvered together to suit the farmers needs. Monarch (originally Canadian American Engines Company) was founded in 1910 and burned down in October of 1923. Wood chippers were...

Bee Smoker

Bee smokers have existed in various forms for thousands of years. While there have been countless varied designs throughout history and across cultures, the basic aim of these devices has always remained the same: to produce smoke that will calm bees, allowing beekeepers easy and sting-less access to their beehives. This particular bee smoker utilizes the two-piece tin design that was most popular in North America. It’s invention has been most often attributed to the most famous...

Cockshutt No. 1 Transplanter

CIRCA 1920s

This photo is of a Cockshutt No.1 Transplanter, undated, but is circa 1920s. This piece of equipment was horse drawn and was used for plowing grooves in the ground to plant potatoes, tomatoes and other vegetables.

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