From the Collections of the Old Stone Fort Museum: Schoharie County Skipple
This 18th century, pine and wrought iron Skipple is on display at the Old Stone Fort Museum and was made in Schoharie County. It was donated to the Schoharie County Historical Society by Isaac O. Ball.
The skipple (Dutch schepel or Old Amsterdam schepel) was equal to 3 pecks, or ¾ of an English bushel. This Dutch unit of measurement was most commonly used in the Schoharie Valley for much of the late 1600s and early 1700s and account books in the Dutch areas of what is now upstate New York were kept in schepels of wheat.
The skipple in the collection of the Old Stone Fort Museum was used by Johannes Ball, a prominent 18th century local figure who served as Chairman of the Committee of Safety for the Schoharie District during the American Revolution.
