The mystery artifact, donated in 1997 by a local man, consists of a lantern-shaped body attached to an oval base. At the top of the body is a contoured plate that rotates with the turning of two levers. The plate can be adjusted according to a person's height.

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Although the artifact was positively identified in 1999 by a man from Pennsylvania, it remains to this day the Yarmouth County Museum's interactive "mystery artifact." Visitors often try to guess how it could be used. Some suggestions include a meat grinder, a massaging tool, a seat for a small animal, and even a primitive mammogram machine.