The master butter knife shown here was recovered from the Thomas Johnson/Henry Williams Dugout site during excavations at the 2007 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school. Master butter knives have a sabre shape with a sharp pointed end, but a dull edge. They were used to serve, but not spread, butter. Both sides of the blade and handle have a somewhat art deco pattern. This domestic site was related to the settlement of Nicodemus, Kansas, an all black community in western Kansas.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Master Butter Knife from the Thomas Johnson/Henry Williams Dugout Site, 14GH102 - 2