This shows two types of clothing fasteners recovered at the Williams farmstead, along with a corresponding advertisement and patent drawing. The simple hook and eye fasteners (a) consisted of a small hook that was sewed onto one side of clothing and a matching eye sewed onto the opposite side. The hook would pass through the eye to hold the garment in place. The advertisement (b) is from the 1895 Montgomery Ward & Company catalog.

The second type is a busk fastener (c) that was typically used on women's corsets during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A series of these fasteners would be attached to a metal band that was sewn into the fabric. On the opposite side, another metal band was sewn into the fabric and series of small posts were attached. When the sides were brought together and the posts were fitted inside the openings, the two pieces of fabric were locked in place. The drawing (e) is from the 1880 patent for "Corset-Steel Fastening" (Patent No. 225,375 by Lucian Hill; Google Patents).