Flail, circa 1850
Add to SetSummary
Farmers have used flails to thresh grain for thousands of years. This heavy, wooden club attached with a leather thong to a long handle was swung repeatedly against the harvested grain. This action separated the grains from the stalk. By the mid-1800s, innovative Americans began to patent mechanized threshing machines which replaced this laborious task.
Farmers have used flails to thresh grain for thousands of years. This heavy, wooden club attached with a leather thong to a long handle was swung repeatedly against the harvested grain. This action separated the grains from the stalk. By the mid-1800s, innovative Americans began to patent mechanized threshing machines which replaced this laborious task.
Artifact
Flail (Agricultural equipment)
Date Made
circa 1850
On Exhibit
at Greenfield Village in Soybean Lab Agricultural Gallery
Object ID
00.4.39
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Wood (Plant material)
Dimensions
Length: 48 in
Inscriptions
1857
Share Anywhere
Use this Artifact Card to share this great find with others. From historic images to vivid descriptions, a record of rich detail is bundled inside a single card.
