Wow, what a neat history on this piece. A homemade rattle made from white pine. Found in the catskills area of NY. Signed on the four sides:
Mary E Shaffer
Shaver - Town
New York
.
So Shavertown was a hamlet that was sacrificed and laid under water with the construction of the Pepacton Reservoir in 1954. The town was formed by the Shavers. The village was settled around 1781 by John and Jacob Shaver and Philip Barnhart (who married their sister, Sarah). These hardy folk were described as industrious "Dutchmen", later to be more correctly known as descendants of the Palatine Germans. These former residents of the Rhine River Valley in Germany came to the colonies between 1708-1723. The largest group came in 1710 among which were the Schaeffers (now known as Shaver) to harvest pine tar for her majesty's ships. Many spellings exist but basically this Mary was a descendent of the people who formed the town.
.
The reservoir was created to provide water for NYC and at the time of its construction 980 families were displaced.
.
Neat piece of New York history.
Condition: Nice condition. All original. No breaks or repairs. No cracks. Still has the wood bits inside and makes the rattle noise. Some minor usage wear. See photos and video.