Can you guess the November mystery tool?
Here’s the November Mystery Tool—can you figure out what it was used for? For reference, the object’s handle is five inches long.
If you think you know what it is, share your guess using the contact form below. Include your full name and the town where you live. Submissions are due by Friday, November 28, 2025. The correct answer will be revealed on Monday, December 1. Good luck!
Submission Form
Thank you for your response. ✨
For information, visit landisvalleymuseum.org.
Answer to the October Mystery Tool Revealed!
Jennifer Royer, curator at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, says that this is a multi-purpose tool patent #0136601 invented by Anthony Iske of Lancaster City, filed on March 11, 1873. The tool was designed to be, from the patent, a “Hand corn-sheller, boot-jack, hammer, etc.” The patent describes it as consisting of “three parts, united by a single rivet-joint, constituting a hand corn-sheller, boot-jack, hammer, hook-claw, tack-drawer and pot lifter, besides being useful as a wrench for certain purposes.”
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1901 Map of Lancaster and York Counties, PAPrice range: $29.99 through $33.89
