Written by Determining the age of your antique padlocks can be a daunting task. It’s not like we’re all archaeologists or full-time researchers, right. With the advent of the internet, things have become a little easier. This article will attempt to present a selection of antique locks from the colonial period of the United States by using real archaeological digs as provenance to their origin.
I have a love of history and often wonder what life would have been like living in America in the 1600’s. When I think of colonial times, I think of Jamestown, Virginia. Jamestown was founded in 1607 by one hundred and four very brave individuals! What padlocks did these first settlers bring to the United States or even create in the first american foundries? Well, we can find out, because there are dedicated archaeologists that are digging up the past in Jamestown and other colonial area towns. Here’s a padlock discovered in a Jamestown Virginia well from a layer dated from 1620:
And here’s a link showing what it looked like when they found it:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gM62DqKJmo&w=560&h=315]
This style padlock is clearly from the 17th century. Here’s one that isn’t a relic, but actually in very good condition:
17th century colonial period padlock
Our history lesson doesn’t end there, there are numerous examples of colonial period padlocks from the Jamestown digs. The ball padlock is a classic example of a 16th or 17th century antique padlock.
Here’s a link: to a Jamestown Virginia antique ball padlock that was smashed due to a angry resident! You can’t forget the classic american smokehouse padlock. Smokehouse padlocks in the colonial period were thicker and sturdier than the kind found later in history. Here’s a colonial period smokehouse padlock relic:
Figure B on page 278 of the book entitled, “The Chesapeake House: Architectural Investigation by Colonial Williamsburg” shows the smokehouse padlock, the ball padlock and lastly one of my favorite medieval padlocks. The triangle padlock what would have been available to colonial era residents:
16th and 17th centurey triangle trick padlock
The residents of Jamestown more than likely brought these antique padlocks with them from Europe, but there were blacksmiths in colonial America. Will we ever know if these treasures from history were manufactured in the new world or the old, no, but using the internet is a great way to research and learn about antique lock collecting. Here are some more great links to Jamestown and colonial-era antique padlocks:
17th century triangle padlock in the MET Museum