What the Heck Is This Thing #1

The Lovettsville Museum has quite a few farm and household implements from the 19th and early 20th centuries, which have been grouped together as a look-and-touch interactive display and guessing game of “pre-digital era” technology, with answer cards attached.  Many of the objects truly amaze and confound today’s youngsters, who love to pound the keys on our prehistoric computer, aka our 1913 Underwood typewriter from the old Lovettsville Post Office (today’s Thaiverse Restaurant).  For your consideration and puzzlement, presented here is one of the mystery objects in our exhibit.

(Hint: the answer is at the bottom of this webpage.)

 

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ANSWER to the “What the Heck IS This Thing?” Game #1

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This is a vintage HAT STRETCHER & SIZER, sometimes also referred to as a HAT BLOCK.  This object is for for reshaping hats that are a little too tight, or hats that have shrunk in size.  The center rod of the hat stretcher swivels to expand the device outward by separating and expanding along the center seam.  Similar in concept to the “shoe tree,” our particular hat stretcher is size 6-5/8.

Visit our “What the Heck IS This Thing?” mystery objects exhibit and guessing game, on Saturdays between 1:00-4:00 at the Lovettsville Museum, 4 East Pennsylvania Avenue, next door to Lovettsville Town Hall.