U.S. Standard Half Bushel
date: label: Date made
content: 1842
notes: label: Description
content: The Articles of Confederation stated that Congress shall fix “the standard of weights and measures throughout the United States,” and similar language appeared in the Constitution. Little, however, happened until the 1830s when Congress instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to furnish standard weights, measures, and balances to the several states and customs houses. An Office of Weights and Measures was then organized, and placed in the Treasury Department. This heavy brass volume is part of that endeavor. The inscription on the side reads “UNITED STATES STANDARD / HALF BUSHEL / 1842.” It came from the National Bureau of Standards, the agency that was formed in 1901 and took over the metrological functions of the government.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Chemistry
label: See more items in
content: Measuring & Mapping
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Transfer from Department of Commerce Bureau of Standards
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CH.309582
label: catalog number
content: 309582
label: accession number
content: 103830
objectType: label: Object Name
content: volumetric measure, u.s. standard half bushel
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: inside: 19.3 cm x 43 cm; 7 5/8 in x 16 15/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 7 3/4 in x 16 1/2 in; 19.685 cm x 41.91 cm