Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Antenna, Radio |
Catalog Number |
2006.4.59 |
Date |
ca. 1925 |
Material(s) |
wood; copper; fabric; metal; |
Dimensions |
H-52.5 W-21.25 D-9 inches |
Description |
This is a radio antenna. It has a four inch wood pedestal base with a wooden armature extending above it. The armature has two horizontal support slats located 19" apart. There are six flat horizontal "paddles" attached with metal screws to the ends of slats at the top of the central armature and at the base of armature. There are two small black knobs and one large knob for adjusting and tuning that are located on the paddle at the base of the armature. There are cloth covered (insulated) copper wires wrapped around the armature. The cords wrap around multiple times and rest in twelve shallow slots on each "paddle." |
Notes |
Early radio antenna, probably belonged to A.J.A Alexander (b. 1875) who breed cattle on Woodburn farm and died in 1928. Antennas such as this were placed in attics for better reception. Early radio receivers were very expensive costing over $2000 in the early 20s. The Alexander's could easily have afforded one of these early radios. Those who could not afford radios made their own crystal radios from houshold materials and boxes. All necessary supplies could be purchased for as little as six dollars. Between 1923 and 1930, 60 percent of American families purchased radios. Radios were sold to farmers who wanted to get live stock quotations, commodity prices, weather reports and agriculture talks. Families gathered around their radios for night-time entertainment. As radio ownership increased, so did the number of radio stations. By 1922, 600 radio stations had sprung up around the United States. This collection was selected by KHS staff who were invited to the Woodburn Mansion in 2004 when the contents were being dealt with by the family in preperation for selling the home to Lucy Breathitt. The original Woodburn farm in Woodford County totaled 2,000 acres purchased in 1790 by Robert Alexander. By 1990 the acreage had been divided among Airdrie, Binderton, Lanark, and Woodburn farm, all owned by descendants of the original Alexander. Woodburn was brought to national prominence as a thoroughbred breeding operation in the 1850s and 1860s by his son, Robert Aitcheson Alexander, who did more for the cultivation of purebred stock than any other man in America, according to William Warfield as quoted in Giants of the Turf. Between 1861 and 1882 the farm dominated the American turf to an unequaled extent. R.A. was the founder of The American Trotting Horse and he organized the Lexington Trotting Club. He advanced the introduction of the standardbred into KY and helped secure its place in racing. Over the years the Alexander family maintained Woodburn farm mansion along with its library, now in the KHS rare books collection, and many artifacts that pertain to the family and the history of animal husbandry on the farm. See the book, A Kingdom for a Horse by William Preston Mangum II (1999). |
Collection |
Dr. Alexander J. Alexander Collection |
Subjects |
Antennas (Electronics) Radio antennas Radios |
Search Terms |
Woodburn Farm Woodford County (Ky.) |
Physical Holder |
Kentucky Historical Society - KHS |