1823 Jail Lock- NE United States

Maybe we disagree on the term "manufacturing"? Also for as good as Tom's book is, and it is amazing what he found, I suspect his research on early NYC and Philly may have been less thorough than that of Connecticut Doug

So the Scandinavian lock I posted is more than likely the lock that was used, not the "mickey mouse" lock?? What type of metal, cast iron, brass??

Thanks for the advice and help!

Greg

U.S. Custom Hardware

P.S. - I would like to buy a Bison Door knob and back plate from the Department of the Interior Building.

1823 is only 40 years after the end of the Revolutionary War. Although it's possible an American blacksmith/locksmith could fashion a handmade lock, it is more likely a British lock was used. During the colonial period, America was considered a source of raw material, and manufacturing was discouraged. One should not expect a sudden reversal immediately after the end of hostilities. Lock manufacturing in the U.S. did not really get started until about the middle of the 19th century. Therefore, in my opinion it is most likely imported padlocks were used. The Mickey Mouse shaped padlock you first posted probably resembles the type of padlock that might have been imported.

Of course the Industrial Revolution lagged in the US when compared to Britain, as well as in large scale manufacturing. However, I have little doubt that the vast majority of locks used here were simple locks made by blacksmiths. For more sophisticated locks, yes some would have been imported. But lets look at the 1813 Perkins patented bank vault lock seen in American Genius. This lock was removed from a NH bank. It shows the machine made influence of the Industrial Revolution as it was coming into its own here in the U.S. It is highly unlikely any of his locks would have seen use on jails, so I am not suggesting that possibility. But the cutting edge of manufacturing here was not quite as backward as is assumed. By 1813 Jacob Perkins had numerous U.S. patents under his belt , including a nail making machine. He later moved to Britain where he continued making important contributions to the Industrial Revolution.

Thanks, Doug, for your input. Very interesting. My earlier remarks were not meant to imply that an American made jail lock was impossible. I was merely stating (in my opinion) what is most likely. The popularity of Carpenter locks on New England American homes in the 1830's seems to suggest that British locks were still being imported on a relatively large scale.