Early Agriculture
By: Amanda B. and Meghan F.
Why did children have to start their duties at such an early
age?
Who
cleared the fields?
Was
it hard to remove stumps, stones, and boulders?
Early Ludlow items
Field Trip to Ludlow Meetinghouse
Most early New England settlements and the new people in Stony Hill were farmers. Farming was hard work. The men cleared the fields, removed stumps, stones, and boulders and then fenced the fields. It was very difficult work. Some of these fences may still be seen today as rock walls that are scattered throughout Ludlow. Then the men planted and finally harvested the crops. The tools were very hard to use.
Early Butter Churn
Ludlow Meetinghouse
The women fed and clothed their family, would cook the food, and make the clothes. The boys would do barn jobs, such as milking the cows and feeding the chickens. The girls would do household duties. All the members of the family would do their part. We saw many household tools and utensils at the Meetinghouse. Look on this page to see some of the items we saw.