Over the next year, the Westport Historical Society is presenting “The History of Westport in 100 Objects.”
The exhibit changes every 2 weeks. Each time, there’s a new “mystery” item. The winner — chosen from all correct guesses — gets an item from the gift shop.
The 2nd object was this:
If you guessed “grain flail” — you’re right!
I’m not sure how many people did. But Eric Davré is the winner.
And if you’re wondering, a grain flail is
an agricultural tool used to separate grains from their husk. A flail is made from 2 or more large sticks attached by a short chain or strip of leather so it may swing down onto grain piles to thrash or beat out grain from the husk. Flails fell into disuse when the original combine harvester, pulled by horses, was invented. But flails have survived the test of time. In Minnesota, wild rice of the Ojibwe people can only be legally harvested from canoes using this method.
(For more information on the “100 Objects” exhibit, click here.)
