Today it is time for another mystery object. This object is a little different from the other mystery objects I have talked about before, however. I have actually done some research trying to figure out what today’s object is, but came up rather empty handed, with more questions than answers. Therefore, without further ado, here is today’s object: a metal rod with a handle!
As you can see in the photo, the object in question is just a long, metal rod with a handle. There is slight chipping at the end, presumably from frequent use. The question, however, it what this rod was used for. According to our system, this object is a “butter tool”, and that James E. Hart donated it, but there is not any more information. Specifically, it does not indicate how on Earth someone would use this rod in association with butter. It is slightly curved, so perhaps it was used to scrape butter off the inside of a butter churn?
Upon further inspection of the rod, one detail could help to reveal what this object really is. On the inside of the curve, near the handle, someone inscribed the word “Burrell”. When I found this, I did some digging on the internet to see what I could find about “Burrell”. According to what I could find, D. H. Burrell was an inventor who invented many contraptions that people used in the dairy industry. Unfortunately, my research did not find many details about his actual inventions. This is why I ended up with more questions than answers. Is this metal rod part of a larger machine? Should someone use the rod by itself? Is it actually even something that D. H. Burrell created, or is the “Burrell” inscription just a red herring? If any of you have any idea, please tell us! It will help me get some sleep at night finally knowing what the purpose of this strange rod is.
I believe an answer could be readily available here in Perry, since there are quite a few dairy farms around. For instance, Picket Fence Creamery is nearby, and they clearly would have some knowledge about “butter tools”. If any of you readers have your interests truly piqued by this metal rod, perhaps Picket Fence Creamery, or any dairy farmer around town for that matter, could shed some light on the matter!
Before I leave you today, there is one final thing to mention. The answer to the game we played last week! A few of you did guess, and they were good guesses! However, the correct answer is nothing. HPI Box 40 has nothing at all inside of it! This is why I do not see the need to keep this item in our collection.