Lock Information

I did some research and found that the Wilson Bohannan Lock Co. is indeed still in business. While looking over their website I found a couple of interesting tidbits on their history page:

• Their first padlock patent was granted April 17, 1860
• Originally started in Brooklyn New York
• Wilson Bohannan is the oldest family owned padlock company still producing padlocks in the United States.

I e-mailed a picture of the lock and requested any information they could give me on the age, style, how many were produced. It didn't take long to get a response.

Their reply:

Thanks for the picture.

Your lock is a steel body WB lock that had a chain connected on the bottom which is gone. I believe this style of lock was only made during the early 1940's when brass was used for the war. There are even a few locks like yours with steel schackles out there where yours is brass. Wilson Bohannan has always made all brass padlocks except for those years. However, I don't know how many locks were made during those years.

We also get a lot of inquires for the old keys that would fit your lock. We haven't had any of those since I've been employed here at WB for the last 18 years.

Wilson Bohannan is the oldest family owned padlock manufacturer in the USA and continues to be all American made.

Enjoy your piece of history.

Steve

Lock Cleaning

As I said in the last post, I wanted to clean up the heart shaped lock.



Jon Harris of the Triangle Relic Recovery and Historic Preservation Association told me how to do it through a process called "electrolysis".



I did some research on the Internet and came up with a homemade system to remove the rust and corrosion from small parts and objects.





It was actually pretty simple to construct.

All you need is a battery charger, a bucket, 4 or 5 metal re bar sections, some wire, wire nuts, and alligator clips to hold the parts in the solution.









Here, a piece of a Southern Cross is being "de-rusted".


Notice the bubbles ensuring the process is working. You need to get metal to metal contact with the piece and the alligator clip for it to work.


Time in the solution will vary depending on the amount of rust.





The lock was left in the solution for about 4 hours.



It was removed and brushed with a steel bristled brush and the rust flakes fell off like they were never there.



The lock was then allowed to dry and sprayed with WD40 to prevent rust


After cleaning, the brass shank revealed the lock manufacturer.

Wilson Bohannon Co.
Marion Ohio U.S.A.

I will do some research to see if they are still in business and to see what information I can get on the lock.

More Artifacts

After separating and cleaning some artifacts they were photographed and recorded.

This photo shows an 1898 coin and a silver ring with what is thought to be an Amethyst stone.












This toy gun was also found. We decided against cleaning because the halves of the gun were separating and we were afraid it would fall apart if we removed all the rust.










Numerous buttons were also discovered.
















This is the "Pro-Marksman Junior Division National Rifle Association" medal that was found.
















Many coins were also uncovered and after checking the dates, the 1898 coin in the first photo was the oldest.










We found four Southern Crosses that were used to mark the graves of the Confederate soldiers in the cemetery.

I am working on cleaning up the heart shaped lock through an electrolosis process and should have it done soon.

Cemetery Artifacts

Knowing the historical value of the cemetery and what it
contains, the Old Presbyterian Graveyard Committee made a decision to have the cemetery scanned with metal detectors before disturbing the soil during the landscaping phase.

It was truly amazing what was discovered.

Four members of a Raleigh volunteer organization, The Triangle Relic Recovery and Historic Preservation Association, brought their metal detectors to the cemetery on two separate Saturdays.

The photo at the right shows some of the artifacts recovered.







An old heart shaped lock, a lock with a chain, buttons, knives, nails, lantern pieces, and a NRA Junior Marksman medal were recovered.

Belt ends, Civil War Union and Confederate rifle

bullets, pistol bullets, and dress weights were also found.

The church was used as a hospital during the Battle of Bentonville so some of these bullets may have been dropped in the cemetery during burials or when soldiers came to visit the wounded.

The artifacts recovered will be cleaned, given to the church, and hopefully will be displayed around the cemetery