You are standing in front of a large, four-sided artifact case. The artifact label facing you is titled “Keys.” To your left is a graphic panel titled “House History: 1735 House.” To your right is a timeline titled “Historic Milestones: From First Peoples to the Arrival of SERC.” Behind you is a reader rail titled “Window on the Past: An Area Rich in Resources.”

The section of the artifact case in front of you includes five handwrought iron keys with a label.

The label reads:

Keys
Colonists often stored valuables, such as coins, tea, spices, and fabric, in locked chests to keep them out of reach of enslaved people and servants, who shared the same house. As the period progressed, wealthier families moved enslaved people and servants outside the home, allowing them to lock the entire house.

Recovered from Sparrow’s Rest:
1 to 5. Handwrought iron keys, ca. 1650 to 1735