These padlock and keys were collected from the Plowboy site in Shawnee County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2017. Padlocks have been used since the Roman era, though the style shown here were much more common to post 1840. The keys shown do not unlock the padlock. 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
Padlock and Keys from the Plowboy Site, 14SH372 - 3
