Step Into the Past

By Willa Ferris

Hi! My name is Willa and I am part of the 2022 Archaeological Lab School at Strawbery Banke. I am a high school student greatly intrigued by archaeology and I have loved the experience of this lab. The amount of unidentified metal recovered from the Sherburne house sparked my interest in puzzling out the objects. All of these artifacts shown below are from a time period when the Sherburne family owned and occupied the Sherburne House. 

Shoes of All Shapes & Sizes:

An oval-shaped buckle frame with decorative incised lines. This type of knee buckle was created in a wide span of time, from 1660 - 1800. Buckles such as this are personal items worn on knee-length boots and are smaller than shoe buckles. This specific buckle is made of tin due to the decoration and the lack of oxidation when recovered.

This semi-ornate rectangle frame buckle has holes on the corners for decoration and possibly for extra fasteners. It is a copper knee buckle frame, evident by the oxidation and size of the artifact. From 1660 - 1720 these types of knee buckles were created and used in the American Colonies.

Although broken this artifact is part of a tin, D-type (see diagram below) design for a shoe buckle. This specific cooking pot-shaped loop design was only made from 1720 - 1770. Chapes, such as this one, are the rounded section of a shoe buckle, something functional and decorative.

 

This is also part of a D-type shoe buckle, but the fork-shaped tongue area. It is also a cooking pot-shaped loop design constructed from 1720 - 1770. Although the buckle above is made of tin, this one is made of copper evident in the oxidation of the artifact.

Can you see the similarities between this artifact and the one above? Yes, this is another copper fork-shaped tongue, of a cooking pot-shaped loop design. However, this one is an E-type shoe buckle design evident in the straightness of the prongs.

Now, this artifact is a bit different, it is a shoe buckle tongue but made of iron. It also has a part of the chape intact. The usage of metal and the straightness of the prongs and chape dates this shoe buckle to around 1660 - 1720.

Shoe buckle chape forms from American Artifacts of Personal Adornment, 1680-1820 by Carolyn White, p. 43

Hinges:

The H hinge was crafted and distributed from the 1600s - the 1700s and was expected for doors and cabinets in a variety of buildings. Some H-hinges will have more decoration or crowns at the top and bottom of the hinge. Most hinges were wrought iron, created by hand and tool, not by molds like cast iron.

A wrought iron hasp from a strap hinge was used on doors and gates. Yet, again another common hinge from the 1700s. This particular artifact was identified by the three close holes shown in the first image as well as the consistency in thickness and width of the two iron pieces. Although heavily corroded and coated in rust hinges can be identified by notable features such as decorations or holes.

This is a straight hasp piece that is from the same hinge as the artifact above. However, it lacks holes and other identifying features when not paired with the identified artifact. 

Household Items:

Did you know that sterling silver actually has some copper in it? This can lead to slight oxidation of sterling silver artifacts such as this wire straight pin.

Straight pins were manufactured in mills in England and then shipped to the North Eastern American colonies in the early 1700s. These pins would be used for sewing and go great with the scissors below.

Can you see the scissors? This might be broken and corroded, but yes they are a pair of scissors. A pair of iron scissors was not uncommon in a merchant's home due to the varied usage in sewing, shops, and grooming of both hair and lawns.

A more defined wrought iron piece, a curved piece of iron in the shape of an S. It must be an S hook or pot hook for the fireplace. These types of cooking hooks were quite popular in the 1600s to 1700s in Colonial America.

Hey, look a key to the past! The early to mid-1700s to be exact. This heavy key is iron and due to corrosion very brittle. A key such as this one would be used on gates or doors and was a common type in England and Colonial America.

Thanks for reading and learning something new!