Ballot drum box manufactured by George D. Barnard Co
Entry/Object ID
588
Description
Ballot drum box manufactured by George D. Barnard Co, St. Louis, Mo. The slotted, cast iron lid is fitted with a latch and wire bale handle; working slot for ballots with padlock, but the key is missing. Black finish with stenciled bands, sunbursts on sides and gold lettering, which reads: "Geo. D. Barnard & Co. St. Louis, MO." Made of tin and cast iron, these were called "mule mount" because the base is curved and the box could be strapped on the back of a mule to be transported to polling places. They can be as early as the 1860s and were used in the election of 1868, when U. S. Grant became president.
