Flailing Helplessly Due to History
I'm a history geek for most things, but some things make me shriek and dance and punch me in the feels more than others.
This is one of those things that reignites the Indiana Jess persona deep inside.
This is a horn carved into a cup, circa 1760 (since that's what's carved into it and has been verified to be from that area), most likely from the Philadelphia area since it was purchased here for a mere $50some by a dude I know who then found out it was legit.
It has freemason symbols carved all over it and it's amazing and I GOT TO HOLD IT SO YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW EXCITING THIS IS.
It's museum-worthy. It's a piece of history. It's handmade and full of mystery.
AND IT'S IN MY HANDS.
All I can do is wonder who carved this? Who owned it? What was their story and where exactly did they live? Were they way out in Chester County or in the city of Philadelphia and this cup somehow ended up out here?
If the original owner was in fact a mason, how far up was in he in the order? Why did he carve the symbols on there? Was this used in ritual or was it just for his own amusement? Why these symbols and what did they mean to him?
The "CHF" inside that ladder-like carving could be a person's initials, a code, a motto, a chapter designation, or something else. What is the story?
I just love things like this. The fact that I actually get to hold this beautiful museum piece in my own hands instead of staring at it through glass is pretty much the coolest thing about this. I am connected to someone who lived 255 years ago. I am touching something they touched and carved and put thought into. They have become a piece of me and I am now a piece of them.
History. Is. Amazing.