This is a piece of a tree supposedly from Indiana. I don't know eastern hardwoods at all. Anybody out there give me a hand on this one. It been sitting in a chicken coop in Idaho for at least 60 years, probably much longer. The chunk pictured is about 12" long.

In advance, many thanks...

Jack

looks similar to some of our young hickory

The bark looks butternut....and the stain in the heartwood has that look ( the brown pith)
Also known as "poor mans walnut" but it is really nice for carving but not as soft as basswood.

I can only imagine what interesting creative use you will think of ...

The bark looks like a Bitternut Hickory ( pig hickory )

It looks like a young pig nut hickory or mocker nut hickorty. If I'm correct, the wood will be very hard.

Hickory

I'm thinking pig nut or young hickory, not sure if worms like the pig nut or not but they like to make meal out of the hickory. Even after the worms have at it will still be like steel , if you cut it in the dark esp. the bark the sparks will fly.

Many thanks guys. After your suggestions (sorry the photo isn't better) I googled several hardwoods for images of the bark. Closest match I can come up with is young shagbark hickory. I made a few scales for knife handles and found it to be hard, but nothing like the mountain mahogany I'm using now. Instead, will probably use it for axe/hatchet/hammer handles. I imagine not a big deal for you guys elsewhere, but finding hardwood in eastern Idaho at over 5,000' elevation is like finding a top-lot elephant pelt.

Again, many thanks...

Jack

Mockernut Hickory Or Pignut Hickory

Hasn't grown much in 60 years

Can't wait to see what the finished product looks like. I bet it will be very pretty.

I don't see any apples on it so I'd rule out apple tree.

Not a shagbark....bark looks more like tulip poplar to me.

P

I'm gonna say shagbark. The grain and color of the wood makes me think that. A piece that small would have that look, it could be an upper limb also. Mike

Fire wood.

I'm guessing tulip poplar also.

Doesn't look like hickory bark at all, to me.

Some young shagbarks look like that, and others are completely smooth. Tulip poplars also look similar. I don't think there's any way to ID it based on that pic alone.

Dried for 60 years poplar would be very light compared to hickory.

I don't think it's shagbark unless it is pretty small in diameter. They are smooth in its early stages but starts getting that shaggy bark before it gets very big in diameter. I have a bunch here in the yard at all stages. The shaggy bark is good to add into the charcoal for smokey BBQ.
It's possible that it is one of the other hickory mentioned, bitternut or mockernut.
How about Osage? That was grown lots of places for fence post and good ones at that.
I suppose either could have been kept around for making tool handles.