Trying to identify what this is

Maybe for ice fishing. For drilling a hole in the ice big enough get a fishing line in and then the other end is a ladle to keep the ice from closing back up. The drill part goes all the way up to the loop at the top.

What do I know…

I found these pics on the net when I searched for antique African walking sticks


I'm leaning more and more towards African walking stick

reply to post by Christian Voice


My guess is a walking stick or cane. Since you say the wood does notlook to be native, It may have been a souvenir from a trip abroad. OR.....
It may have been made by one of workers, of African Heritage.
It may have been a gift to "The Boss Man" of the cotton gin
It had value to someone who had access to the locked cabinet in the office, like the owner or boss.
BUT......
I don't see it being a tool of any sort.
No reason to wrap a tool in paper and lock it up and too fine to be of much use in the work enviroment of a Gin.

It appears, if I'm not mistaken to be about 3 feet plus maybe a few inches long. (I see window sills in the pic.)

This would make it the correct size for a walking stick. (for someone my size, I'm 6'2")

I have seen skades of different vintage walking sticks and the one you feature would fit right in.

P.S. I have my Great Grandfathers hand carved walking stick with real looking frogs and lizards carved and painted on the otherwise natural wood stick.

I think the chances of this being a walking staff or cane are exceptionally minute. The design screams functionality, therefore it likely has some mechanical function. My guess would be that, since it is made of wood, it has something to do with bailing cotton, moving it, or something like that. Or, like one poster mentioned, it does look like it could be used as a portable hitching post for a horse. This seems logical mainly because the pitched threads on the shaft make one think it was designed to be burrowed into something, possibly the ground. But I don't know for sure.

It is definitely a cool find. Here are some pics I took from the gin:
This pic is some of the old stuff piled around

These are some of the cow skulls lying around

Looks like a rather old bike

An old pickup truck out back in the woods around it

Some of the buzzards that nest around the gin

reply to post by JiggyPotamus


If you look closely at the photo you can see detailed decorative carving running throughout the spiraled part of the cane's shaft.

Also, there are 4 heads carved in profile and a smooth well worn handle. This is to much detail to put into a cotton bailing tool.
And, no working damage to the rest of this item.

Have you ever seen a tobacco stick? Rough cut light colored hardwood like pine or ash. No detail no frills. Not Dark mahogany like wood like this.It is common tool of the same era in southern farming history.
I would compare a suspected cotton working stick to a tobacco stick (if a cotton working stick even existed) in construction and wear.
I've seen hundreds on hundreds of tobacco sticks.
Never seen or even heard of a cotton working stick,
and the two crops were rotated through the same fields in North Carolina.
I know about both crops

Back for another guess. It could be the center spindle of an old churn or ice cream maker.

reply to post by Christian Voice


That about did it for me, thanks for putting in the work and presenting those pics.