Agriculture

From butter churns to diesel tractors, the Museum's agricultural artifacts trace the story of Americans who work the land. Agricultural tools and machinery in the collections range from a John Deere plow of the 1830s to 20th-century cultivators and harvesters. The Museum's holdings also include overalls, aprons, and sunbonnets; farm photographs; milk cans and food jars; handmade horse collars; and some 200 oral histories of farm men and women in the South. Prints in the collections show hundreds of scenes of rural life. The politics of agriculture are part of the story, too, told in materials related to farm workers' unions and a group of artifacts donated by the family of the labor leader Cesar Chavez.

John Deere Plow
John Deere Plow, 1830s
This model accompanied the patent application for William N. Whiteley’s improvement in harvesters that received patent number 197,192 on November 13, 1877.
Description
This model accompanied the patent application for William N. Whiteley’s improvement in harvesters that received patent number 197,192 on November 13, 1877. The combined reaper and mower had a single large wheel with a driver’s seat to steer the horses and manipulate the mower, reaper, or rake attachments This harvester model was manufactured under the brand name “Champion.” The Champion was sold by a variety of company’s across the country from its home in Springfield, Ohio which is still known as the “Champion City.”
A reaper is a machine for harvesting grain crops, especially wheat. Drawn by horses (or a tractor), a reaper uses a large blade to cut wheat stalks. Early reapers required farmers to rake wheat off the machine by hand. On self-raking models, automatic rakes pushed the wheat across a platform and deposited it on the ground in bunches. Workers followed the reaper, gathering and tying bundles of wheat, called “sheaves.” They stacked the sheaves into piles, called “stooks,” for protection from wind and rain. Later, workers threshed and winnowed the wheat to remove edible grains from the inedible chaff.
date made
1877
patent date
1877-11-13
inventor
Whiteley, William N.
ID Number
AG.197192
accession number
89797
catalog number
197192
patent number
197,192
This Glidden Varnish crate side was used by the Glidden Varnish Company of Cleveland, Ohio during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This Glidden Varnish crate side was used by the Glidden Varnish Company of Cleveland, Ohio during the early 20th century. The crate side bears the image of an Eagle-like creature on the left, with plain black text that reads “Factories Cleveland, Ohio, Toronto, Ontario/ Branches New York Chicago Boston St. Louis Atlanta.” In 1875 Francis Glidden, Levi Rackett, and Thomas Bolles started a varnish company called Glidden, Brackett & Co. In 1894 the company became the Glidden Varnish Company, and in 1917 was renamed simply the Glidden Company when it diversified its product line by adding paints.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Glidden Company
ID Number
1979.0441.142
accession number
1979.0441
catalog number
1979.0441.142
This shipping crate side originally contained Peters small arms ammunition manufactured by the Peters Cartridge Division of the Remington Arms Company in King Mills, Ohio during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side originally contained Peters small arms ammunition manufactured by the Peters Cartridge Division of the Remington Arms Company in King Mills, Ohio during the early 20th century. Peters was once a Remington competitor and enjoyed financial success during World War I, before Remington bought Peters during the Great Depression.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Remington Arms Company, Inc.
ID Number
1979.0441.345
catalog number
1979.0441.345
accession number
1979.0441
This is a Snider’s Catsup shipping crate end. Thomas A. Snider started the T.A. Snider Preserve Company of Cincinnati in 1879, and was renowned for his “catsup” recipe made from fresh tomatoes without preservatives.
Description (Brief)
This is a Snider’s Catsup shipping crate end. Thomas A. Snider started the T.A. Snider Preserve Company of Cincinnati in 1879, and was renowned for his “catsup” recipe made from fresh tomatoes without preservatives. Snider was one of the largest ketchup makers at the turn of the 20th century and produced a variety of tomato related products and canned goods such as relish, tomato soup, oyster sauce, and pork and beans.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
T. A. Snider Preserve Co.
ID Number
1979.0441.284
catalog number
1979.0441.284
accession number
1979.0441
This shipping crate side contained tobacco from Middletown, Ohio manufactured by the P. Lorillard Company during the late 19th century.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained tobacco from Middletown, Ohio manufactured by the P. Lorillard Company during the late 19th century. The wooden crate side features an extensive block of text that claims that the “manufacturer of this tobacco has complied with all the requirements of law” and warns against re-using to crate to ship tobacco.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
P. Lorillard Company
ID Number
1979.0441.174
catalog number
1979.0441.174
accession number
1979.0441
This shipping crate side contained tobacco manufactured by the American Tobacco Company in Middletown, Ohio during the early 20th century. The P.J.
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained tobacco manufactured by the American Tobacco Company in Middletown, Ohio during the early 20th century. The P.J. Sorg Tobacco Company was the dominant tobacco manufacturer in Middletown before it was bought by the American Tobacco Company around 1898. The crate has a label noting that taxes were paid, and the bottom of the crate cautions “under the penalties of law” against reusing the packaging for tobacco shipments.
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
American Tobacco Company
ID Number
1979.0441.224
catalog number
1979.0441.224
accession number
1979.0441
This shipping crate side contained Ivory soap flakes manufactured by the Procter & Gamble Company of Cincinnati, Ohio during the early 20th century. Soap flakes combined with water could be used for a variety of cleaning tasksCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
This shipping crate side contained Ivory soap flakes manufactured by the Procter & Gamble Company of Cincinnati, Ohio during the early 20th century. Soap flakes combined with water could be used for a variety of cleaning tasks
Location
Currently not on view
referenced business
Procter & Gamble Company
ID Number
1979.0441.302
catalog number
1979.0441.302
accession number
1979.0441
This is a patented iron case panel for “Race Match” matches, made by the Barber Match Company. The panel features the portraits of five women of different races titled Indian, Mongolian, Negro, Malay, and Caucasian.
Description (Brief)
This is a patented iron case panel for “Race Match” matches, made by the Barber Match Company. The panel features the portraits of five women of different races titled Indian, Mongolian, Negro, Malay, and Caucasian. The text reads “5 races, 5 colors, 5 cents.” The Barber Match Company was founded in 1864 in Akron, Ohio. In 1881, the Barber Match Company united with eleven other match manufacturers to create the Diamond Match Company, which remains the company’s current name.
date made
1870s
1870 - 1879
referenced business
Barber Match Company
ID Number
1979.0441.329
catalog number
1979.0441.329
accession number
1979.0441

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