These locks and keys were collected from the Plowboy site in Shawnee County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2017. Each of the locks has the key that opened it. The lock on the left is a mortise lock, which was placed within a mortise in a door. The lock on the right is a surface-mount lock, which was screwed onto the exterior of a door. The Plowboy site was home to the Kansa, the Potawatomi, and Euro-Americans. At various times, the site contained a farm, a trading post, and a post office with nearby military trails, Mormon routes, a railroad and the California-Oregon trail.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Mortise Locks and Keys from the Plowboy Site, 14SH372 - 1