I knew the answer to today’s DownEast.com trivia question because we had one or two of these tools around the garage while I was growing up. Um, of course, our peaveys were normal-sized, not giant-sized.
What is that strange-looking implement held by Bangor’s Paul Bunyan statue?
Answer:
It’s a peavey, a logging tool invented by Joseph Peavey of Stillwater in the 1850s.
Here’s a bit more about the peavey tool. This is from Wikipedia, so I won’t vouch for the accuracy, but it does seem correct.
A peavey or peavey hook is a logging tool consisting of a handle, generally from 30 to 50 inches long (0.75 to 1.25 m), with a metal spike protruding from the end. The spike is rammed into a log, then a hook (at the end of an arm attached to a pivot a short distance up the handle) grabs the log at a second location. Once engaged, the handle gives the operator leverage to roll or slide or float the log to a new position.
The peavey was named for blacksmith Joseph Peavey of Stillwater, Maine, who invented the tool as a refinement to the Cant Hook (also known as a cant dog) in the 1850s. Many lumberjacks use the terms interchangeably, though a peavey will have a spike in the end of the handle, and a cant dog will have a blunt end or possibly small teeth for friction.[1]
The Peavey Manufacturing Co. is still located in Maine and manufactures several variations.
The entry has a line drawing of a logger using he peavey so here’s a link to the entry about the peavey tool.
My name is Keith Michaud and this is “Letters From Away,” a blog written by a Mainer living outside the comfortable and sane confines of New England. The blog is intended for Mainers, whether they live in the Pine Tree State or beyond, and for anyone who has loved ’em, been baffled by ’em or both. Ayuh, I am “from away.” Worse still, I live on the Left Coast – in California. Enjoy! Or not. Your choice.
Letters From Away 