Spruce Gum Boxes, Maine, 1900-1925. Maine State Museum. Gift of Dale J. Butterworth, 2005.119.196, 2005.196.197.
Spruce Gum Boxes, Maine, 1900-1925. Maine State Museum. Gift of Dale J. Butterworth, 2005.119.196, 2005.196.197.
Life in the Maine woods was hard. Men worked six days a week from dawn to dusk. On Sundays they played games such as cribbage, sixty-three, and red dog pitch. Sundays also provided time for creativity.
Men whittled folk art pieces. An unknown logger carved these boxes out of a chunk of spruce to resemble books. They could be placed on a bookcase and slid open to reveal hidden compartments.