Cane or walking stick of hardwood with engraved gold handle. Shaft is round, tapered, ebonized wood. Handle is 3" long, tapered and 8-sided with a rounded crown. Metal fitted tip is missing.
Engraving on all sides of handle. Crown reads "Presented to Genl. Simon Cameron by the Employees of the LOCHIEL IRON WORKS as a mark of their high Appreciation of his Valuable Services in Favor of PROTECTION to American Industry." One facet of side depicts the U.S. Capitol with the slogan "LIBERTY AND PROTECTION." Opposite facet shows the Lochiel Iron Works building above the words "JUSTICE AND EQUALITY TO ALL MEN."
Lochiel Iron Works was organized in 1864. Cameron was one of the owners of the factory located along S. Cameron St. in Harrisburg. Cameron apparently championed some legislative protection for the iron industry, perhaps during his 2nd tenure as U.S. Senator, 1866-1877.
Provenance
Possession of the portrait by the Slaymaker family is probably due to the intermarriage of the Slaymaker and Cameron families. Cameron's niece (Jane Elizabeth Cameron Redsecker) married Colonel S.C. Slaymaker (1828-1894) on May 28, 1862. Then descent to widow of S.R. Slaymaker II.
Metal handle has multiple small dents, one split where the side meets the crown, and some light corrosion. Wood has moderate wear, esp. around tip. Wood has minor splitting near bottom. Tip is missing, adhesive residue remains.
Object ID
G.98.12.9
Notes
Simon Cameron became a strong advocate for the protection of the U.S. steel and iron industry against foreign imports. In appreciation, the workers at Lochiel Iron Works commissioned this cane as a gift for Cameron. The iron works was named Lochiel by Cameron to honor the Cameron family's ancestral Scottish home.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. S.R. Slaymaker II, Heritage Center Collection
