Metric Grain Measures Made by the Shakers
date: label: date made
content: 1877-1900
name: label: maker
content: Shakers
notes: label: Description
content: Several members of the religious group the United Society of Believers, or Shakers, were known for their skill as woodworkers. From March of 1877 until 1900 (at least), the Shakers of West Gloucester (later Sabbathday), Maine sold demonstration metric grain measures like these. The objects were first marketed by the American Metric Bureau of Boston and then by the Library Bureau.
label: Description
content: The set consists of seven copper-soldered wooden volumetric measures. These are marked with the volume represented. The sizes include, from largest to smallest, 1 dekaliter (a dekaliter is 10 liters), 1/2 dekaliter (5 liters), 2 liters, 1 liter, 5 deciliters (a deciliter is 1/10 of a liter or 100 cubic centimeters), 2 deciliters, and 1 deciliter. All of the measures are stamped: Sealed. The two largest also are stamped: United Society (/) W. Gloucester, Me.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: P.A. Kidwell, "Publicizing the Metric System in America from F. R. Hassler to the American Metric Bureau," <I>Rittenhouse</I>, 5 #4, pp. 111-117.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Maine, New Gloucester
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Chemistry
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content: Metric System
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content: Measuring & Mapping
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CH.322102
label: catalog number
content: 322102
label: accession number
content: 246882
objectType: label: Object Name
content: volumetric measures
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: dekaliter: 9 11/16 in x 10 1/8 in; 24.60625 cm x 25.7175 cm
label: Measurements
content: deciliter: 2 11/16 in x 2 5/16 in; 6.82625 cm x 5.87375 cm
label: Measurements
content: liter: 4 9/16 in x 4 5/8 in; 11.58875 cm x 11.7475 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall; nested: 9 5/8 in x 9 3/4 in; 24.4475 cm x 24.765 cm