What does LockNet have in common with smokehouse locks? Well, prior to last week nothing. But, that was before we received an email from a prospect requesting help for her daughter’s school project.
As a major in Historical Preservation, her daughter found an interesting padlock at a local antique shop that she wanted to spotlight in a report for her Preservation class. They had unsuccessfully scoured the internet for any nugget of information, only to turn up nothing over and over again. That’s when they turned to us.
While I had seen the lock in my grandfather’s expansive lock collection, I knew nothing about it. After extensive googling (and finding nothing), there was only one place left to turn for answers… my family.
If you’re new to LockBytes, the Miller family has been in the lock industry for four generations, so surely someone would have some information! My Uncle Clay, owner of Lockmasters Security Institute (LSI), referred me to one of his employees. Barbara did not disappoint – she had a wealth of information. Without missing a beat she was able to raddle off a plethora of information about this historical padlock.
Smokehouse Padlock
This padlock, made by Miller (not to be confused with my family name) is commonly referred to as a smokehouse padlock. The older smokehouse padlocks date back to the late 1800’s; however, this one was likely manufactured in the early 1920’s. Farmers would use this lock to secure their smokehouses or tobacco drying houses. While they don’t hold much value today, they were once a vital part of farming operations; smokehouse padlocks have since been replaced with more secure locks.
We extend a big thank you to Barbara for making the recon on this lock much easier, and good luck with the report! Have you come across a lock you’d like to know more about, or an antique lock that’s been confounding you? Let us know in the comments-if anyone can dig up obscure lock information, it’s the Miller family!