Splitting maul owned by Melody Starya Mobley
- Manufactured by
- Unidentified
- Used by
- Mobley, Melody Starya, American, born 1958
- Subject of
- United States Forest Service, founded 1905
- Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest, American, founded 1897
- Date
- 1980
- Medium
- wood and metal
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 37 × 9 × 2 5/16 in. (94 × 22.8 × 5.9 cm)
- Caption
- Melody Starya Mobley was the first African American female forester of the USDA Forest Service (USFS), serving from June 1977 until her retirement in March 2005. She also was the first African American woman to graduate (in 1979) from the University of Washington College of Forest Resources (later renamed the School of Forest Resources in the College of the Environment). During her 28 years with the USFS she served in national forests all over the country. Most notably for this collection, she served in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington state from 1980-1982, Cleveland National Forest in Southern California from 1982-1986, held a temporary assignment in Klamath National Forest in Northern California, and finally served in Ocala National Forest in central Florida from 1986-1987. From 1988 until her retirement in 2005 she served in the USFS headquarters in Washington, D.C. In the mid-1990s, Mobley was given a temporary detail to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada where she served as Deputy Forest Supervisor.
- Description
- Splitting maul owned by Melody Starya Mobley during her service in the United States Forest Service. The maul head is comprised of solid black steel. It has a single, slightly rounded blade, a round eye, and a flat butt. The center of the maul head is squared. The maul head is stamped with the number [8] next to a circular stamp on the bottom of the head. The rounded handle is solid, polished wood that flares outward at the shoulder, but is otherwise straight. The handle is split at the knob.
- Place used
- Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Tools and Equipment
- Type
- mauls
- Topic
- Agriculture
- American West
- Government
- Labor
- Nature
- Rural life
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Melody Starya Mobley
- Object number
- 2019.80.5
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.