Early Wood Auger from Gettysburg Museum

Wood Auger from Gettysburg Museum. Click photo and "Detailed Description".

This is another nice item from the Gettysburg collection being offered, it is a Civil War era Boring Auger. The oak handle measures approximately 12” x 1 ¼” and the iron bit extends about 14”. These augers were used for drilling 1” holes…probably used for building barns or wagon wheels. There are no visible manufacture markings which is common for the era, having only the museum identification number on the bottom, which is “GETT 4732”.

 

This unique item is part of a grouping of Gettysburg related artifacts which were recently deacessed from the famous Rosensteel Collection, which was part of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum. George D. Rosensteel, a long time relic collector, established a Civil War museum in Gettysburg in 1921. He subsequently added the collection of John H. Rosensteel to the museum. John Rosensteel, George's uncle, lived through the 1863 battle and began gathering Gettysburg artifacts shortly thereafter. George’s daughter, Angela, married Lawrence Eckert in 1941, and began working at his father-in-law's National Museum. When the Rosensteel family sold the Ziegler's Grove property to the U.S. government in 1972, the family also donated the museum's collection to the National Park Battlefield Museum; this Gettysburg piece was part of that collection, having the museums markings.

 

This example is very tight and in solid condition. I am keeping some of the items from this grouping for my personal collection for the possible inclusion in the next revision of my book Battle of Gettysburg – The Relics, Artifacts & Souvenirs. This is a great 19^th century piece with a lot of history behind it.