Iron lock and set of keys owned by members of the Ellis family

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A two piece iron padlock with a set of two different keys and a tag. The lock consists of two separate cast iron pieces, the body (a) and the shackle (b). There is a raised five-pointed star around the keyhole. The body contains a cylinder which moves to engage the lock and shackle. The shackle is a “U” shaped cylinder with notches that engage with the cylinder. There is a small rectangular key hole in the oval shaped bottom that has a raised five-pointed star around it. There is a ridge around the circumference of the oval. The padlock is accompanied by two different keys on a metal key ring (c). There is a cast iron key that has a flat blade with a square or notch like serrations on both sides, and an oval bow with large holes side by side. This key opens the lock.

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