Featured Mystery Metal...Things

Hello all,

Welcome to another edition of "What the heck is it?"

These metal stands are located at the Marshall House. The two pictured are on the north side porch and there's one more on the front porch.

They stand about 2 and a half feet tall and the three legs are attached directly into the brick steps. There are three circular pieces at the top with the top being closed completely while the 2 side ones are open with prong-like ends. There is also a small curved piece that sticks out to the front as well.

Do you know what they are and what their purpose is? Thanks!


(Featuring my lovely hand)

 

Hitching posts? They look like wrought iron to me.

How old is the house?

 

For delivery of rolled up newspapers? Hanging small plants in the warm months?

 

I think they're hangs-around looks-cutes. Purely ornamental.

 

The prong like ends make me think they were made for things like fireplace tools to hang from.

 

A set of implements for getting mud off boots before entering house?

 

All the above?

 

Dunno, but since you have a pair I'll just assume that maybe they were meant to be used together.

Maybe in a fireplace with a rod in the upper loop to hang a kettle etc. from? Little tools hang from the slotted loops? Dunno. Didn't know exactly what to look for but sort of like this?

 

I'm going to vote for fireplace implement holders.

 

They look like a pair of old-fashioned spit-jacks. Fireplace tools hang from the 'claws', and a rod or bar went through the two rings at the top, and the whole contrivance went in front of the fireplace for the roasting of meat on the iron bar (the spit). They're called 'spit-jacks' because they jack (raise) the spit off the ground.

Here's a pair that look somewhat similar:

 

Now that makes sense.

 

2.5 feet sounds quite high, but remember that the fire itself was likely raised off the ground on a grate (to give air-flow, etc), so once you'd loaded the meat on (which would be maybe 18-24 inches off the ground, once mounted?), the meat and flames would be at roughly the same level. Then all you had to do was sit down, turn the spit, and find someone else in the kitchen to chat to, for three or four hours...

Here's another set of fire-dogs, spit-dogs, spit-jacks etc...



According to the article they came from, these are about 3ft high. The roasting spit went across the top, so as you can see, they could be quite big!!

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if these were made by a local blacksmith to the specifications of the house owner of the time. He equally well could have based the design on fireplace furnishings, but don't forget that these are outside and anchored to the porch.

It's not inconceivable that they were re-purposed from an earlier function, but it seems more likely to me that they were purpose built, especially since there are 3 of them.

 

In a house this old, they would've been made by the local blacksmith as a special commissioned piece. They might have started out as spit-jacks and then changed function and location as time went on, or they might've been purpose-built as dust-collectors. We may never know.

 

Spit jacks.
Thanks for the knowledge.
Now I know Jack Spit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry.

 

I don't think they're just idle decorations, and I doubt they were re-purposed (unless fairly recent). Back in the day of the horse, there would have been no economic benefit to re-purposing and I doubt that it would have occurred to the owner of a large house.

 

My 1200 lb Tennessee Walker would have absolutely wrecked one of those those if I hitched him to one. I don't think they are sturdy enough to be hitching post and I can't imagine why there would be fireplace or cooking implements there. I am at a loss on this one personally.

 

I wonder if they could have been intended to hold wreaths for the holidays and such? They would serve that purpose well I would think.

 

...and you'd have them standing outside, all-year-round, rain and shine? Seems rather impractical.

 

The Marshall House, I do not mean for this to sound "snippy" but . . . have you (or another person) looked through old photos of the exterior of the house to "possibly" determine the "when/why" of the "whatchamacallits"?