Threshing Machine, circa 1845

THF96715 / Threshing Machine, circa 1845
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Artifact Overview

Farm families raised most of their own food during the early 1800s. The more grain they raised for themselves and for market, the more they sought machines to reduce labor. This thresher beat the kernels from grain heads, thus replacing a laborer with a flail, but farmers needed a treadmill and oxen or horses to generate power to thresh grain. After threshing, farmers used a fanning mill to clean grain and bag it for market.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Threshing machine

Date Made

circa 1845

Place of Creation

Location

at Greenfield Village in Soybean Lab Agricultural Gallery

Object ID

00.3.16517

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Wood (Plant material)
Metal

Dimensions

Height: 40 in
Length: 50 in

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Related Content

  • Massey-Harris Model 20 Self-Propelled Combine, 1938
    Set

    Agriculture and the Environment

    • 49 Artifacts
    "Combines" combine the major tasks of grain harvest: cutting and gathering the crop, threshing and separating the kernels from the chaff, and disposing of the straw. The Massey-Harris Model 20, introduced in 1938, culminated over 100 years of mechanical improvements. One driver operated the self-propelled machine, which reduced the need for hired help during the labor shortages of World War II.
Threshing Machine, circa 1845