Title

Viking ironing board

Description

Mystery object - probably a cross section of a bone. It was found in the workshop display on one of the saws. It is 23" long, 10" wide at its widest point and appears to have been sliced as it is exactly 1 inch thick. The large hole in the middle is 2.5 x 3". It looks spongy in the center, but it is composed of a hard material. Our guess is that it is a cross section of a whale rib bone.

In February 2023, it was identified by Stephenie Anderson, Viking historian, as a whalebone ironing board. According to her, this cross section of whalebone would have been used with a smoothing rock or piece of glass to stem open seams. They were used from the Viking era until nearly the modern era. 
This one could have been used by an immigrant family here in Pope County.  

Ornate versions have been found throughout Scandinavia and on the Orkney islands in Viking graves. http://teachinghistory100.org/objects/about_the_object/a_viking_dragon_plaque