Toy Steam Shovel: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Kentontoys, manufactured by the Kenton Hardware Company of Kenton, Ohio, was born out of the Kenton Lock Manufacturing Company in the 1890s, which produced cast iron locks, doorknobs, and hardware for furniture. In 1894, Kenton ventured into the newly expanding market of toy banks and eventually produced many different types of toys well into the 20th century. This toy steam shovel called the “Marion,” from around 1930, represents a power shovel produced by another important Ohio company, the Marion Steam Shovel Company.

Toys such as this shovel raise questions about the relationship between technological innovation and social impact. The use of steam-powered vehicles to move large amounts of earth and other natural obstacles made it possible to expand into previously remote areas. The Marion Steam Shovel Company provided shovels that helped alter land for the expanding railroads and for the digging of the Panama Canal.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: ca 1930
• maker: Kenton Hardware Company
• Object Name: Toy, Steam Shovel
• Object Name: toy, steam shovel
• Other Terms: Toy, Steam Shovel; Toys
• Physical Description: iron, cast (overall material)
• Physical Description: paint (overall material)
• Place Made: United States: Ohio, Kenton
• Subject: Toys
• ID Number: DL.295669.0640
• catalog number: 295669.0640
• accession number: 1971.295669
• Credit Line: Sears, Roebuck and Co., Collection of American Toys
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.