The Davistown Museum

Center for the Study of Early Tools

Scattered throughout The Davistown Museum are tools by important manufacturers who are also the subject of

information files compiled by the museum. This is a listing of our holdings for:

W. H. and J. H. Cary

Status

Location

Historic Maritime III (1800-1840): Boomtown Years & the Dawn of the Industrial

Revolution

Woodworking: Planes Made in Maine

50402T3

Yankee plow plane

bio

photo

LPC

MH

Wood with brass, forged steel blade, and iron rivets, 8 3/8" long, 7 3/4" wide fence, signed "W. H. Cary".

The plane has atypical brass depth stops. This plane was probably made in Maine after Cary moved from New Salem, MA. As noted in

DATM (Nelson 1999), the Cary family made farm tools and plows in Houlton later in the 19th century (-1869 - 71-); his son, J. H. Cary stayed

in New Salem as a rule and caliper maker. The 4th Edition of Pollack (2001) agrees with Trevor Robinson (see bio link) that Cary never

made any planes after moving to Houlton. This information is disputed by Bob Wheeler who formerly owned it; it is now loaned to the Museum

by the current owner.

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