Can you guess the January mystery tool?
Hereโs the January Mystery Toolโcan you figure out what it was used for? For reference, the object is 17.25 inches high, 7.5 inches wide, and a quarter inch thick.
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, January 30, 2026. The correct answer will be revealed on Sunday, February 1st. Good luck!
Submission Form
For information, visitย landisvalleymuseum.org.
Answer to the December Mystery Tool Revealed!
Most people assumed December’s Mystery Tool was actually a toy. My grandfather used to make them in his wood shop, calling it a โdo-nothing machine.โ Other readers chimed in with their own colorful namesโbullsh*t grinder, smoke grinder, and wood stretcher, among them.
But it is, in fact, a tool. According to Jennifer Royer, curator at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, the object is a wooden ellipsograph, also known as a Trammel of Archimedes, used to draw ellipses. As the arm rotates, its sliding components move in such a way that the far end traces a precise elliptical path measuring roughly 20 inches wide by 15.5 inches tall. Itโs a classic demonstration of elliptical motion, a principle with roots in mathematics, engineering, and architecture, used to lay out everything from planetary orbits to elegant architectural curves.
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Dear Adam,
Not sure if this email will go through to you, but trying anyway. Iโm a fan of your podcast and blog and wanted to invite you to a session that I think you would find interesting. Iโve been deep in archival research on the life of Governor Dick, and other enslaved people, who worked at Cornwall Iron Furnace during the 1700s. The hill at Clarence Schock Memorial Park is named after him. I know they are in modern-day Lebanon County, but at the time, Cornwall and Governor Dickโs Hill were part of Lancaster County.
The NAACP and the Mount Gretna Area Historical Society organized a presentation of preliminary findings for Black History Month on February 1st. That session โsold outโ (free) within two hours of the announcement, with registrations exceeding the capacity of the Environmental Centerโclear evidence of strong interest in this history. Because of that response, we are offering a second session on March 21, from 2โ4 pm, at the Lebanon County Historical Society. Iโm attaching the registration link and poster below.
I believe you would be interested in the newly uncovered archival findings, which add important context and nuance to what has previously been understood about Governor Dick and the enslaved community at Cornwall โ as well as the history of the naming of the place itself, Governor Dickโs Hill!
Hope this email reaches you.
Best regards,
Kathy Lindert
Kathy Lindert Art kathylindertart@gmail.com Visit http://www.kathylindertart.com Follow @kathy.lindert on instagram
๏ฟผ
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe0bNviLpTlnr7muoYGa89tFhO9TgitV7YwxsDnfiUE74JFqg/viewform๏ฟผ Registration for 2nd Governor Dick Presentation, Leb. Co. Historical Society, 2:00 PM, Saturday March 21, 2026 docs.google.com
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