How about a brief quiz?
I know you hate pop quizes, but this one is just for fun.
This huge iron bowl is out at the Cedar Key state museum. It's not real old by Florida standards, but was used before and during the Civil War. Those are full size railroad ties it's sitting on, so use that as your frame of reference for it's size.
Question number one: What was the function of this big iron bowl?
This is a common sight at Cedar Key. You'll find these everywhere along the working and residential waterfront.
Question number two:
What is the purpose of the Rube Goldbergian structure above?
Do your best.
Report cards come out Friday.
26 comments:
Whoa, look at the size of that bowl! I don't think any guess I have would be accurate. The possiblities are endless!
The second pic, since aquaculture is big up there, I'd say it's a fish farm of some type.
I say it was a kettle of some sort to get salt.
Here something like that would be used to scald hogs, but I am sure it has some much more interesting function in pure Florida
For some reason, my first impulse is to say that it has something to do with making bullets. But it also could be something used in salt mining. :) I agree about the structure, something to do with fishing. That's all I got.
thats about the size needed to supply the coffee at our hunt club so ill say a crude coffee maker
Hmmmm. North Florida was the "breadbasket of the Confederacy" during the Civil War. And a lot of crops that are no commercially viable were planted. What was grown there that isn't anymore? Lots of em. But I'm guessing:
Cane Sugar!
The second thing looks like it's for cleaning fish, scallops, reels, etc...
The bowl is for boiling peanuts or laundry.
The structure is a boat slip.
What do I win?
Bowl was for mixing potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal for gunpowder.
Structure is a fish hatchery.
My second guess for the kettle.
The syrup kettle where cane juice was cooked to make syrup
Maybe it is for some sort of odd waterboarding for yankees....
or it could be for turpentine.
yours in the bond
scott
All these guesses are velly intellesting. I have a bit of an advantage, so I'll just sit back and enjoy. 8-]
I will join Sophie on the couch as I have an unfair advantage and know the answer too. I am enjoying the guesses.
To All,
The large bowl is one of many that were used to boil seawater for the production of vital salt before and during the civil war. This one is a survivor after a Union raid destroyed the saltworks nearby.
The waterside pole barn with lots of pvc plumbing is a clam nursery building.
A clam farmer buys tiny clam seed and nurtures the little bivalve babies in the trays beneath the shed roof. Seawater is circulated through the trays providing oxygen and plankton for the seed.
Later, they go out on the clam lease in mesh bags. Search this blog for clam farming if you are a newbie.
Great guesses!
Laura,
Good job on the aquaculture guess. You are correct.
Smilin B,
Good job, but never change your answer ... the first one is usually right.
Of course, your second one is excellent since a similar, but smaller bowl is used for syrup cooking.
3C,
I've seen that done, but this was saltier.
Sharon,
You could melt a lot of lead in one of these. Good guessing.
Rick,
I assume no one sleeps there? Any luck?
Leslie,
MMMMMMM, boiled peanuts. Sounds good.
Doc,
Almost, on the fish hatchery idea.
Scott,
Turpentine is another good guess.
Sophie and Cathy S,
Been there, done that, haven't ya?
:)
I'm too late to guess, although I did view this post earlier and suspected that, from your earlier posts, the second may be a clam hatchery. The big salt bowl, that is interesting!
The structure is either a crab shack or an oyster shack but it is some kind of sea food shack, the bowl is probably for boiling cane syrup,just stumbled by your blog to say hello. I'm down the road apiece in Lecanto, howdy.
Gina Bass
They were good guesses. And some of them knew because they caught it from your site. You are such a good teacher. We had saltworks in our area on the Manatee River and in Tampa Bay as well. They were also destroyed during the Great War, the War for Southern Independence or as some called it, "the resent unpleasantness". Never say Civil War around our area, it proves you are a yankee. No clam farming though. Our fisherman still cling to their nets though smaller now due to the net ban. Some have branched out to crapping. There is even a fisherwoman among them who has all her crab buoys painted bright lavender. To learn more,come to Cortez on December 7. Our maritime museum will have its grand opening that day. (Sorry, FC for the shameless commercial). :0)
Oh, shoot, I meant "recent" though I know there was a lot of resentment going on then, too!!!
I'm going to call it a night, I knew I should have proofread that comment. Not crapping, but crabbing. Good night!
The large bowl is now used for kmoo's weekly baths and the enormous structure barely suffices for drying his clothing.
Cathy S. said that the fishermen have branched out to crapping. That is way better than any of kmoo's juvenile humor:D
Deb,
Funny about that bowl. Today in the news was a story about a statewide desalinization plan for freshwater production from sea water.
Gina,
Welcome to Pure Florida!
Thanks for dropping in with a comment. You're just around the corner.
Cathy S,
I use the term Civil War (talk about oxymorons) to separate myself from those who are still fighting it.
I have a student from Cortez who did an extra credit powerpoint last year. Seems her Dad owns a waterfront seadoo type rental place and she spends summers there.
It sounds like a great fish town.
Your crappy fishermen cracked me up. More power to the lady crabber.
Eyemkmootoo,
Wow.
Your Mr. Bubbles bill must be enormous.
Actually, as a professional historian, I use Civil War, too. It makes some of my volunteers crazy and that is very fun to watch!
we hunt in vidalia ga saw 22 sat and sun took a nice 7 & 8 pointer sunday
If it were not in Florida, I would say syrup kettle. Since it is in the sunshine state, I suspect it was for boiling off sea water to get salt. It could be (and probably was) used to boil freshly slaughtered hogs so the hair could be scraped away.
Sorry. Didn't see Q #2. I am not very hopeful of being right. Is it an industrial size live well to keep bait or shrimp alive until sold or processed?
i thought the shed was something related to raising marine life. [knew shrimp farmers in s.c., but they used ponds; i don't know from mollusks.]
my best guess about the big bowl was laundry, but it wasn't shaped right. there are areas on our big bay that are called salt ponds [cordoned off in shallows with little levies], and there may still be some commercial salt production there. but i forgot that people wanted salt even before they could buy morton's at the general store.
"the war of northern aggression," is what i heard about the civil war when i lived in charleston, s.c. it began when the north fired back.
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