Three "Foot Rail" in North Carolina

[Chapel Hill]

I have found three iron items that are all identical. They look broken or chipped on the top and sides, but all three are the exact same, so I assume they are built this way.

These were found in what I was told by the land owner to be an old bunk house of the workers of a saw mill. There were glass liquor bottles everywhere.

I have pictured one of three. As you can tell from the picture, they are about 5 1/2 inches long and have the word "Foot Rail" on the back side. The second one I found was identical. The third one I found looked to be a mirror image of this in the picture and where the first two had "foot rail," the third one had "NO 21".

Please Help...

 

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[Back-of-the-boat]

A foot rail was in bars and saloons and you say there were liquor bottles everywhere so either a dumping spot for a local bar or they could of had a bar or saloon on the site also or someone converted the building to a speak easy after the mill was gone.

 

[CaptEsteban]

Makes me think of a " boot scraper " which used to be very common.

https://www.google.com/search?q=boo...Sv4KLtccCFUmmHgodZLYCvQ#imgrc=kFijHHnxJrVtAM:

 

[bigfoot1]

I dont know what it is but I thought I might mention the term foot rail could also apply to a bed frame,lower section of iron fence,virtually dozens of alternate possibilities.very cool find and a great mystery.

 

[Ant]

It looks like a saw tooth, it would have pivoted on roolers set in a chain, or they could be fixed onto a bar.