Francis Johnson Corner

Francis Johnson Corner. Honoring Francis, A Valued Friend and Neighbor. , Francis Johnson of Darwin (1904-1989) was an ingenious wood carver, known for carving a one-piece pliers as small as an inch long that opened and closed without pins or other fasteners. On larger pliers, Francis would carve another pliers from each handle. By repeating the process multiple times, out of a seven-foot block of basswood he carved 23 pliers that ranged in length from seven feet down to one inch. When completed, the 23 working pliers, all still attached, folded up to form the original seven-foot block of wood. , A skilled carpenter, Francis Johnson built many homes and remodeled others. In his spare time, from 1950 to 1979, Francis also collected used baler twine, tied the pieces together and wound the World's Largest Ball of Twine Made by One Man. Francis wound the giant Twine Ball with strictly used baler twine that he collected from his farmer friends. Many would help the effort by delivering their saved twine pieces to Francis. , At his Darwin home on Highway 12, Francis added more twine and kept the Twine Ball round by rolling it with a jack normally used in moving railroad cars. Note in the photo at the right that Francis also chained his 8 ½ ton creation to a tree, to prevent someone from "walking off with it." , Before the Twine Ball was moved in 1991 to its permanent home in Darwin, Francis kept it in his front yard 1/4 mile east of town on Highway 12. Many travelers stopped to get an up-close look at the Twine Ball, take photos and visit with Francis. He would also proudly show visitors his large collections of tools, pencils and carpenter nail aprons, which he kept in a storage building. , Wonders of the World , The 23 working pliers within a seven-foot block of basswood and the 11-foot, 9-inch diameter Twine Ball are two additional Wonders of the World, and they are located here in the museum and at Francis Johnson Corner in Darwin. , Captions: , Pliers Carving, a painting by Lavona Keskey , Francis and pliers , The seven-foot pliers unfolds to show 23 pliers in total. , This original 18-inch pliers reveals a total of 15 pliers. , On the road to fame , In 1958 Francis and the then six-foot Twine Ball traveled to New York City to be on the TV show, "I've Got a Secret". Show host Garry Moore is on top of the Twine Ball. Francis is on the left. , Francis used a railroad jack to rotate the Twine Ball. , Carpenter Nail Apron , In the early days, "loaded up and ready to roll" in the Darwin parade.