September/October 2012 – Artifact of the Month

Artifact of the Month Index

OCTOBER/SEPTEMBER 2012 — ARTIFACT OF THE MONTH

Children’s ABC Plate Fragments: Eat as you learn. Learn as you eat.
Contributed by Kenneth J. Basalik, Ph.D.

The artifacts on the far right are three sherds of an “ABC Plate” (a whole example of which is seen on the right). These plate fragments were recovered from an archaeological site in Finland (Bucks County), Pennsylvania. In the 19th century Finland was a prosperous village hosting a post office, a grist/saw mill, a cigar factory, a store, an inn, and residential buildings. During the early 20th century the village lost its post office and mill. Later the cigar factory and store closed, leaving only the residential buildings and the inn that are still standing today. The artifacts were encountered in the ruins of the mill and date to the early 20th century, although is probable that the plate to which these sherds once belonged was manufactured during the latter part of the 19th century.

Children’s ABC plates were first made in the early 19th century but still continue to be made today. Some were illustrated with nursery rhymes, pithy sayings, or moralistic adages. Still other plates bore images of famous places or famous people decorating the central portion of the plate. The plate from which these fragments came had an educational purpose. As you can see, the plate was designed to teach not only the alphabet but also numbers up to 51, the months of the year, and the time of day.

So did the children ‘eat it up’? Or was the educational message lost amid the food on the plate?


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