Lamps & Lanterns

The first light available in a pioneer’s home was produced from a candle or two set in a candlestick in the centre of the table.  They were usually made by the pioneers using wax around a string or poured into a candle mould.  Soon coal oil lamps with a well and a wide wick inside a globe hung on the walls or in tall intricate lamps on the table.

 These lamps were not very portable and were the cause of many home fires due to spills and falls.  Lanterns became the tool to show the way in the dark.  They were hung on the walls or over a peg or on a wire from the ceiling.  The lighted wick was out of the wind and much safer than a lamp and therefore used in the barn to do the chores or to become a beacon for a weary traveler at night.  Eventually special lanterns were designed to be attached to carriages and buggies for night travel. Special lanterns were developed for use on the railroads for signalling purposes.

Shoe Lasts 

Many pioneers, out of necessity, developed skills in shoe making and shoe repairs.  The leather was either tanned on the farm or it was purchased from a local tannery.  Working with leather permitted the pioneer family to make or repair harnesses, bellows for the forge, aprons, shoelaces and many other everyday articles.

Toys “wr us”

Today’s constant beeping and crashing of the modern electronic video games, were a far cry from the type of entertainment the children of the 1900 ‘s had. It is interesting to note, however, the modern games had their roots of origin in early board games.  The Little Claybelt Museum is proud to display many of the games from the “pre- television era”. Among these are Crokinole, Ups and Downs, Chinese Checkers, Snakes and Ladders, Parcheesi, and Tiddaly winks. Also on display is a paper mache pig that nods its head when moved. Of particular interest to our younger visitors is a 100 year old doll.