Skeleton keys

The term “skeleton key” refers to a key that fits a warded lock and has been reduced to its essential parts. Today at the cabins, these big, beautiful keys are a tiny bit of nostalgia for guests.

Although a skeleton key is sometimes considered a master key, not all skeleton keys are the same. The size and cut of the key’s bit, as well as the diameter of its barrel, determine whether it fits with a lock. Once inside the lock, the bit must be the correct size and have appropriate cuts to move past “wards” or internal obstructions. In early Colonial America, these keys were often employed in antique pieces of furniture, like china hutches, jewelry boxes, and trunks.

These locks can be tricky to open, but I’ve come to appreciate them for their simplicity. They make me slow down.

When you place the key in the lock, you have to find just the right depth and angle and then slowly turn the key. It’s as if you can feel every mechanism of the lock releasing as the cut-outs in the key find and match the grooves within the lock. Once you know how they work, they actually become quite easy to open.

Skeleton keys became less common by the 1950s after the invention of pin tumbler locks that offered more security and had to be opened with a specific key.

Visiting the cabins offers a place to refresh and unwind, to slow down and appreciate. I hope these keys continue to unlock that place.