Archaeological Objects
ca. 1800-1900
Abiel Smith School Digital Catalog
Writing Slate: ABS.0192.019
Slate pencils: ABS.0179.029, ABS.0189.013, ABS.0233.010
Northeast Museum Services Center, National Park Service
Students used these pencils and slate at the Smith School. The writing slate is made out of a metamorphic stone that breaks in thin sheets, while the pencils are made out of a softer slate that leaves a residue on the writing slate that looks like chalk. The chalk could then be easily wiped off with a rag.*
*Information from “Abiel Smith School Digital Catalog” Northeast Museum Services Center, NPS
Questions to Consider
- How difficult do you think it would have been to use these materials to write?
- Why might have younger students used slate writing boards and pencils instead of ink and paper?
