A glass turkey egg used to encourage turkey hens to lay eggs in a particular location. According to Mrs. Gold, to encourage a hen to lay eggs in a specific place, farmers would often begin making their nests and place the artificial nesting eggs in them with the hope that the hen would complete her nest in that location. This also helped the farmer keep track of which hens were laying eggs and where the eggs were located. The glass eggs remained in the nest until the hen laid and incubated the eggs and the offspring hatched. It was important to maintain this process and promptly remove the artificial egg so that it could be reused.
A multipurpose ax that was used for digging, clearing and breaking ground. According to Mrs. Gold, it was used in Mount Pleasant before saws and machines were available to clear land to plant crops. The long side was used for hewing trees or bushes and the short side for cutting tree roots.
Chair made by slaves from Ridgley Plantation near Florence, South Carolina. The chair is made with mortise and tenon joints reinforced with square nails. The seat is of animal skin. Evidence that the legs of the chair have been shortened indicates that it was a slave's chair. Slaves were not permitted to sit higher than the master or his children.
Circular all-purpose sweetgrass basket with decorative sides; contains alternating rows of pine needle and sweetgrass accented with pine knots; sewn with palmetto leaf; distinctive style is known as the "elephant ear" design.
Circular, flat sweetgrass basket with a handle made of pine needles wrapped in palmetto leaves; basket contains accents of pine needles throughout and artist has incorporated decorative pine knots; center of basket contains a combination of sweetgrass, pine needles, and bulrush, sewn with palmetto leaf; label on back reads "HAND MADE BY Ida Mae Bennett."
Coiled basked made of sweetgrass, pine needle, and bulrush, sewn with palmetto leaf. Domed lid has a knob and is decorated with pine knots. Lid is connected by a hinge on one side and contains a protruding piece that fits into a loop on the other side, securing it when closed.
Coiled decorative sweetgrass wall pocket hanging shaped like a fish with fins and a tail; oval basket attaches to center section. Made of sweetgrass and pine needle sewn with palmetto leaf.
Coiled sewing basket made of bulrush, pine needle, and sweetgrass sewn with palmetto leaf. Basket has two handles and a lid that is decorated with pine knots.
Coiled, oblong fruit basket with cross handle made of sweetgrass, bulrush, and pine needle, sewn with palmetto leaf. This basket was created by a left-handed artist, visually evident by the slant of the palmetto leaf wraps. The wraps in a right-handed basket typically slant to the left, while the wraps in this basket slant to the right.
