The former Town Scale, measuring approximately 7.5 feet by 6.6 feet by 2.3 feet, is one of the largest items in our collection.

Our scale was made by the firm of Howard and Davis of 34 Water Street, Boston as one of 330 sets ordered by the Legislature (one for each town, city, and county in existence at the time). There is some question as to the number that were actually delivered as a number of communities reportedly shared a set to minimize expense.

As early as 1800 state statutes mandated “it shall be the duty of the treasurer of each town within this Commonwealth, at the expense of such town, to procure, and ever after to preserve as town standards, a complete set of the beams, weights, and copper or pewter measures…and the State or county treasurer shall be entitled to demand and receive of each town treasurer, a fee of three cents for the first sealing of any weight, measure, scale or beam, and two cents for each and every after sealing the same.”

While one might imagine the scales being used to weigh bushels of potatoes and gallons of cider their function was not so much to determine weight as to ensure that other scales utilized in the town were accurate.

Once a year all inhabitants and persons having places of business in the town who used weights, measures, and balances were required by law to bring in their scales to be adjusted and sealed to verify their accuracy.

A small card attached to the scale suggests that it, too, was sealed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, most recently in 1915.

The mechanically versatile Edward Howard was born in Hingham in 1813 and initially trained as a clock maker under Aaron Willard, Jr. In 1842 he formed a partnership with another Willard apprentice, David Potter Davis, and commenced the manufacturing of wall clocks, sewing machines, precision balances, and fire engines. The firm was dissolved in 1857 and Edward Howard went on to greater renown as the founder of the Howard Watch & Clock Company.

While the exact age of the scale is not known, we may infer that it was built at some point between 1848 (when the manufacturer first traded under the name Howard & Davis) and 1857 when that name ceased to be used.

The scale was condemned by the Town at some point after 1915 and presented to the Historical Society.

 

By Elisha Lee