Museum Talk

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Today as I put clothes in my washing machine, I thought of the old black wash pot at the Buffalo Island Museum. It is made of cast iron, holds about twenty gallons and has three legs on the bottom with two handles on the sides. It was made in the late 1800's, and was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Mike Jones. Iron pots have been around since ancient China. The cast iron pots were mostly made by the local blacksmith in early America. You can often tell the age of your old iron pot by looking at the bottom side. The oldest ones have a "spruce" mark. This was used until the mid to late 1700's. From mid-1700 to late 1800's, a "gate" mark was used (a long thin line). If it has a smooth bottom, it is most likely made after 1875.

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