Autumn 2021 - The Dudley Farm
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Autumn 2021
~2351 Durham Road, Guilford, CT ● 203.457.0770 ● www.dudleyfarm.com~
Mission Statement collections the Dudley Farm has to
offer. And if you haven't come to it yet,
"To preserve, restore, and operate please visit our weekly Farmers'
the farm as a historical, educational, Market, which is open from 9 to 12:30
and recreational each Saturday. These activities will
resource for the public.’’ maintain their schedule and will be
adhering to the current and any future
prescribed guidelines issued by the
President’s Corner state and federal government.
A Message from Bill Black As of this newsletter Harvest Day,
which was canceled last year, is still
In my January President's message I on the schedule to take place on
said, “The light at the end of the tunnel Saturday, October 30th. Many
is getting brighter and the optimism of activities are being planned for the day
a better 2021 and a return to some and you can check out our website and
sort of normalcy is growing.” Wow, how future newspaper articles to give you
things have changed in just a few the complete schedule.
months. The Delta variant has turned From a financial standpoint the Farm
our light at the end of the tunnel into a has maintained a solid base which has
flickering candle that threatens to go allowed us to maintain our day-to-day
out. The only saving grace is that we operations. This is all due to our
live in Connecticut which seems to be generous donors along with the Farm
better prepared than most states to securing grants.
cope with the next wave of covid. In the meantime, and until we
But on a positive note, throughout communicate again, please stay safe
these troubled times the Museum will and healthy.
remain open for those visitors wanting
to experience and view all the
Volunteer Spotlight doubts along the way, but look at what
Buster Scranton has been done. Don has been in on the
oversight of numerous building and
restoration projects here, and with the
We would like to recognize
assistance of others we have a museum
Don Homer as a longtime
that is an authentic step into the past.
volunteer at the Dudley
I don’t know how long Don has been a
Farm, going all the way
board member, but it has been a while.
back to when the Dudley
He also manages to be in on other
Farm was an unformed
positions, such as the nominating and
concept. The Foundation
auditing committees.
began as an offshoot of the North Guilford
Volunteer Fire Company upon the passing He now knows that it is possible to get
of David Dudley. The plans for his estate jobs for life, unintentionally. Fire company
were for the property to be sold and for secretary and cemetery sexton come to
the proceeds to be split between the fire mind. He has also been in his share of
company and the North Guilford church and fire company dinners. North
Congregational Guilford is fortunate to have such
Church. Don was, and still is, active in
dedication.
both the fire company and the church
(how many years, Don? And how many
years as fire company secretary and the The Nineteenth Century
Probate Court to bring the present Wordsmith
arrangement to fruition. With lots of Beth Payne
paperwork involved, Don helped guide the
way to the Museum we have today, which
has stood the test of time. There were “With words one man can
make another blessed, or
drive him to despair; by
words the teacher
transfers his knowledge
to the pupil; by words the speaker sweeps
his audience with him and determines its
Officers and Directors
judgments and decisions. Words call forth
President – Bill Black
effects and are the universal means of
Vice-President – Janet Dudley
Treasurer - Tom Cost
influencing human beings.”
― Sigmund Freud, Introductory Lectures
Assistant Treasurer – Bill Black
on Psychoanalysis
Recording Secretary – Jerri Guadagno
Corresponding Secretary – Dorothy Crampton
When did the “parlor” become a “living
Board Members - Ray Guimont, Don Homer,
Kendrick Norris, Tom Leddy, Jim Powers, Doug
room?”
Williamson, Buster Scranton, Laurie Caraway
Museum Director – Beth Payne While conducting tours through the
(director@dudleyfarm.com) Dudley Farmhouse the wordsmith has
Newsletter Staff – Bill Black, Ray Dudley, often wondered whatever happened to the
Beth Payne term “parlor”.
Website – www.dudleyfarm.com
Facebook - Before the late 19th century, the parlor, a
www.facebook.com/dudleyfarmmuseum term derived from a French verb for ‘to
Email – info@dudleyfarm.com speak’, was where family members and
Dudley Farm Office – 203-457-0770 guests would sit and talk, carrying out the
The Dudley Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit
organization and contributions are tax-deductible. various formal and informal social
functions of the house. And this included spirit from going into the mirror and
funerals. remaining in the house. There even was a
proper way for the “dearly departed” to
depart. After all, if the deceased left the
house head-first, the spirit could look
back at the house and decide not to leave.
Not only would they be carried feet-first
out the door, but it was not uncommon to
take a circuitous route to the cemetery to
confuse the spirit, assuring it couldn't find
its way back.
The many deaths from the Civil War
transformed the parlor to the “death
room,” becoming a central part of funerary
rituals for most of the 19th century. Here
deceased family members were laid out for
final respects. Elaborate and strongly
fragrant flower arrangements became
popular, combating the equally
overpowering effects of decomposition. An
ice board was frequently placed under the
body to keep it cool and slow the process And then there is the wearing of black.
down. Why? One story--and it's as good as any
After the preparation required to make other--is that back in the day, funerals
the deceased presentable was done, were held at night, hence the lanterns on
photos were taken to help keep the old horse-drawn hearses. With all the
memory of that person alive. This was spirits floating around at the cemetery
particularly true for children. The child’s you'd want to be invisible… so you'd wear
body, tenderly prepared by the undertaker black. While that's universal to Western
or family, would be primped and culture, other cultures use white, blue, or
pampered, their unblinking eyes closed as even yellow.
in sleep. The child would be dressed in the Soon, however, with the improvement
fanciest of clothing, then placed on a day in embalming techniques and
bed in the “death room” and surrounded professionalization of undertakers, death
by flowers. Then came the photography, would begin to leave the home. By the end
with the child lying on a bed of beautiful of World War I most Americans would
flowers. receive their health care in doctor’s offices
Mourning behaviors were rife with and hospitals and most funerals would
superstition. A family would stop the clock take place in funeral homes – or the
at the exact time of death, only restarting “funeral parlor”.
it after burial. Mirrors were covered with With the decrease in the number of
black material to keep the deceased's deaths at the close of the 19th-century,
the Ladies Home Journal in 1910 The Nominating Committee presents the
suggested that this room was no more a following slate for the Officers and Board
“death room”. The change in terminology of Directors for next year.
is credited to Edward Bok who strongly Officers: (1-year term from October 2021
believed that the space should be "lived" in to October 2022)
rather than having an expensively President: Bill Black
furnished room rarely used within the Vice President: Janet Dudley
household. He promoted the new name
Secretary: Jerri Guadagno
with his article to the magazine and
encouraged people to use the room in their Treasurer: Sue Torre
daily lives as a gathering space. As it was Ass’t Treasurer: Bill Black
then used for various activities of the Corr. Sec.: Dorothy Crampton
house and was more a lively place than a
mourning room, it should be called ‘the Board of Directors (Nominated for 3
Living Room’. And the term spread into years term October 2021 to October 2024)
common usage. Don Homer
Doug Williamson
During the 19th century death was a
constant companion. People died from Ray Guimont
disease, lack of medical care, inadequate Jim Powers
food supplies, poor sanitary conditions, Continuing Board Members
farm accidents, fire, and war. The average Laurie Caraway (2019-2022)
person’s lifespan was around 45 years of Tom Cost (2019-2022)
age (before the pandemic in 2019 it had Jerri Guadagno (2019-2022)
risen to almost 79). The mortality rate for Tom Leddy (2019-2022)
children was especially high. One-third of Bill Black (2020-2023)
all children died before the age of 10 (now Janet Dudley (2020-2023)
approximately 17 childhood deaths per Kendrick Norris (2020-2023)
100,000) and regional epidemics resulted Oliver Scranton (2020-2023)
in childhood death rates as high as 50
percent. The loss of a child was such a
familiar occurrence that most Victorians If you are interested or know someone
did not name their children until they interested in volunteering to help guide
reached their first birthday. and run our operations, please contact
our office at 203-457-0770 or email
director@dudleyfarm.com.
Perhaps you are not interested in joining
Notice of Annual Meeting and the Board, but would like to contribute in
Call for Nominations for the some other ongoing way (there are lots of
Board of Directors and Officers: jobs needing to be done!) - Let us know
October 21 and we'll pass on your name to the
appropriate Committee.
The Annual Meeting With your support, we can assure that
of The Dudley The Dudley Farm Museum will continue
Foundation and Pot- "To preserve, restore, and operate the farm
Luck dinner is as a historical, educational, and
tentatively scheduled recreational resource for the public.”
for Thursday, October 21st.
Vision Statement watermelon rind pickles are commonly
The Dudley Foundation will provide thought of as a Southern dish, there are
leadership to the greater community in the records of people making pickles of
promotion of historic awareness and watermelon rinds during the Civil War.
interpretation of the history of the North Those original recipes call for soaking the
Guilford Community. rinds in a salt brine, then boiling with
sugar, vinegar, cloves, and cinnamon
So Won’t You Consider ---
until clear and soft, which turns it into
-Giving an additional gift to our something resembling a sweet relish.
organization. As you know, there is no Why throw out the rinds when something
governmental funding, and financial tasty can be made? After all, waste not,
contributions are needed for day-to-day want not.
operations as well as special projects, The following recipe was published in the
including replacing the sills under the Atlanta Constitution, Oct. 25, 1887:
house, creating a structure to house our
sawmill, reconstructing our Aermotor Pickled Watermelon Rinds
windmill, and providing a building to Peel the green skin from the rind and
better serve the Quinnipiac Tribal scrape off all the red pulp till the rind is
Museum. Matching funds are needed for firm and hard. Cut them in small pieces
grant support. about three inches long and lay them in a
weak brine by adding one cup of salt to a
gallon of water. After they have soaked in
The Dudley Farm Recipe Box: the brine for twelve hours remove them,
Beth Payne rinsing them off and weigh them. Allow
one half a pound of sugar to every pound
of rinds and vinegar enough to cover
Just plant a them. Stick a clove in every piece of rind.
watermelon on my About one stick of cinnamon and half an
grave ounce of cassia buds to every seven
And let the juice pounds of rinds. Put the vinegar and
(slurp!) run through sugar in a porcelain kettle, and when it
Just plant a watermelon on my grave boils add the watermelon rinds and cook
That’s all I ask of you.
them until they are tender and perfectly
Now chicken and dumplings may taste mighty
fine clear. It will take some time. The rinds
But there’s nothing any finer than a should be simmered slowly. Test them
watermelon vine! with a broom splint. If they are clear and
So plant a it pierces them easily, they are done.
watermelon When they are all cooked put them in a
on my grave stone pot and pour the hot vinegar over
And let the them, after adding the cinnamon and
juice run cassia buds.
through!
And while this recipe seems time
consuming, this recipe found in The
Many Dudley Farm recipe box would have you
sources list marking the days on your calendar:
the watermelon as being introduced in
Massachusetts as early as 1629, and in
Connecticut by 1747. And while
Watermelon Pickles hours. Drain and rinse well.
Cut the rind in two-inch pieces, remove Place watermelon rind, vinegar, sugar,
all the red flesh and cut off the hard shell. and pickling spices in a large saucepan.
Cover with a weak brine and let stand Bring to a simmer and cook for
overnight. In the morning drain, and boil approximately 30 minutes, until the
in water until the rind is clear. Then drain watermelon rind begins to soften and
some areas turn translucent. Although
again. For seven pounds of the rind make
this recipe makes about 3 pints of
a pickle by the following rule: Mix two
watermelon pickles, prepare 4 pint jars
teaspoons each of ground allspice and and lids just in case.
cinnamon, one teaspoon of ground cloves
and half a teaspoon of mace. Divide these Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil
into three parts and tie in small pieces of with the jars and lids inside. Keep this
muslin. Put four pounds of light brown simmering while the pickles are cooking.
sugar and one pint of best cider vinegar Once the pickles are done cooking and
into a preserving kettle, add half an ounce jars have been in simmering water,
of ginger root broken in small pieces and carefully ladle in pickles and brine into
the little spice bags. Let this come to a hot jars - within 1/2 inch of the top.
boil and put in the rind. Remove from the Screw on lids. Repeat with remaining
jars/pickles. Place lidded jars in the
fire, cover closely, and let stand in a cool
simmering water and boil for 10 minutes.
place for 24 hours. Then take out the
Carefully remove from water and set on
rind and let the syrup again come to a
the counter to cool. Lids should seal (pop)
boil. Add the rind again, and let stand in a as they cool down.
cool place, as before, another twenty-four
hours. Repeat this process nine times. No matter what recipe you use,
(WHAT???) The last time let the rind cook watermelon pickles are a sweet and
slowly in the syrup and seal in jars. This delicious treat.
seems like a long process, but the trouble
is very little, requiring but a few minutes
each day, and the result is so pleasing
But the first step is
that one feels richly paid. always to pick a good
Hmmm. I don’t think so.
melon! Here’s how:
This modern recipe is a lot easier:
8 to 9 cups of peeled and cut watermelon 1. Look at the
rind (from one small watermelon) watermelon. The
1/2 cup pickling salt melon should be firm, heavy, and bruise
4 cups granulated sugar free. The skin should be dull and the
2 1/2 cups white vinegar stripes near the top (if it has any) should
2 tablespoons pickling spice be faded and less obvious than when
Cut watermelon rind into long, thin younger. The bottom, where the melon
sections. Scrape off most of the pink flesh. rested on the ground, should be a yellow-
Use a paring knife to peel off the outer cream color and not an immature white or
green skin of the watermelon. green.
Cut peeled watermelon into bite-sized 2. Scratch the bottom of the watermelon.
pieces. The rind should be tough and resist
Place watermelon pieces in a large bowl.
denting, and instead tear and slip to show
Fill with enough water to cover the
a light green under the rind.
watermelon, and stir in pickling salt to
dissolve. Soak overnight or for several
3. Thump the watermelon. This is a more.
classic way to test ripeness. A ripe melon There are five of us who do all the
should have a low, dull, solid thud, like a sewing and knitting for the gift shop
hardwood door. If the melon sounds more and everything is hand made. All
like the hollow knock of an aluminum proceeds are used to help operate
door, instead of a solid oak one, the melon The Dudley Farm.
is not ripe yet. This method takes a bit of Come join us at the Saturday
practice, but produces great results. Be Farmers’ Market, it will be a fun day
careful, however, overripe fruit sound for all.
similar to ripe ones.
4. Check the tendril nearest the
watermelon. The little “pigtail” should
Apple Harvest on the Farm
begin to die back as the melon reaches
Kate Zapadka, Docent
maturity.
5. Look at the stem. It will begin to crack
In late summer and throughout autumn,
near the watermelon when ripe.
farm families harvested their numerous
crops of vegetables and fruits. Farm wives
And just plant a watermelon on my grave, were tasked with various methods of
and let the juice (slurp!) run through! preserving the harvest. Without freezers,
the food had to be canned, pickled, brined,
jellied or dried for future use. In addition
The Dudley Farm Gift Shop to her usual daily and weekly jobs, the
Jerri Guadagno and Mary Norris farm wife spent many hours working to
preserve the harvest.
The Dudley farm included an apple
Wow, summer is orchard, and apple varieties in
almost over, where Connecticut ripen from late summer to
has the time gone. late September. Cider was made in
As the holidays quantity. Apple pies, apple butter, apple
approach be sure fritters and applesauce made their
to stop by the seasonal appearance, and for off-season
Dudley Farm Gift use, canned apple butter was a popular
dish.
Shop at the
In the early 1900s, apples were the main
weekly Saturday Farmer's’ Market for
cash crop in New England. It takes 36
the best selection of hand -crafted apples to make one gallon of cider, and
items. Our Gift Shop is fully stocked many farms had a cider press. The Dudley
with so many beautiful things, such Farm Museum has one which can be
as: viewed in the barn. Cider is actually
Colorful quilts; beautiful table unfiltered apple juice, which was aged into
runners; charming embroidered cider in oak barrels. The cider was then
ornaments; useful and cheerful used as a drink or in recipes such as the
potholders; placemats and potato one below. When further fermented, it
bags, and adorable baby bibs and became vinegar, used for pickling.
blankets. We also have a variety of
adult and children's masks; pure Cider Jelly
Marion Harland, 1889
wool yarn from local sheep; gnomes;
“Take the cider just as it is made, not
scarves; wool hats, and so much
allowing it to ferment at all, and, if
possible, boil it in a very large, flat, rose geranium leaf in the bottle of each jar
shallow pan without a particle of sugar if desired, and fill warm jars with jelly,
and you will have a beautiful jelly.” leaving ¼ inch headspace. Boil in water
Apple butter took hours to make. Often, canner for five minutes, then turn off heat
preparing the butter was a social activity and allow to settle for about ten minutes.
as families joined together to make and
can it for winter use.
It’s intriguing to think that John
Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed, might
Apple Butter
have visited the North Guilford area in the
Marion Harland 1889
“1 1/2-2 gallons apple cider early 19th century. Contrary to legend,
3 bushels apples, 5-9 pennies Chapman did not plant random apple
Pare, core, and slice apples. Bring cider to trees, but actually planted apple nurseries
a boil in a copper kettle. Add apples and in selected midwestern towns.
pennies (to scrape bottom of kettle and Most New England farms in the 18th and
prevent burning). Boil, stirring constantly 19th centuries included apple orchards,
with a wooden paddle five to seven hours, for apple cider was actually safer to drink
until thick. Pour into crocks.” than historic water sources. That could be
The pennies were kept, not spent, as they the origin of the saying “an apple a day
were considered lucky coins. keeps the doctor away.”
Apples could be stored in barrels, dried
and strung like popcorn, canned and
jellied. Crab apple trees were often
Upcoming Events at The Dudley
planted near apple trees to enhance Farm
pollination.
The Dudley Farm Museum continues to
Crab Apple Jelly plan events of interest to our members.
Grow a Good Life website For updates, please check our Facebook
3 pounds crab apples, washed, stemmed, page
and halved (https://www.facebook.com/dudleyfarmm
3 cups water useum) and our website
3 cups cane sugar (https://dudleyfarm.com/blog-news-
rose geranium leaves (optional) events/).
Combine the crab apples in a large Available anytime is a self-guided tour of
saucepan with enough water to barely The Farm grounds. The walking tour and
cover them. Bring to a boil over medium- associated aerial map are available on our
high heat, then simmer slowly until skins website. Take a walk around our Farm
are soft. Gently mash and simmer over and learn about the sites and structures.
low heat for fifteen minutes, stirring And have you been downstairs at the
occasionally, until fruit is soft. Do not Munger Barn? There is a small display
overcook. Strain fruit through a jelly bag case which features artifacts from The
or cheesecloth; allow to strain overnight. Dudley Farm Museum.
Do not squeeze the bag. Measure four September marks the return of the
cups of juice into a saucepan, add sugar, Guilford Fair.
and stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil over October And yes, there are opportunities
medium-high heat, stirring constantly, to learn! We are collaborating with
until jelly stage (220 degrees). Remove Shoreline Adult Education to provide
from heat and skim off foam. Place a clean programs at the Munger Barn. JimPowers will be presenting 2 programs in series on November 10th with his local October:October 6th The Quinnipiac, The history presentation The Dutch Fort on First People of the Shoreline; October 20th Indian Neck in Branford. The Siege and Battles at Saybrook Fort All programs will be held in The Munger during the Pequot War 1636-1637. Barn from 7 PM to 8 PM and cost $15 per Beth Payne will present 19th Century person. Cures...or Curse. Patent Medicines from Shoreline Adult Ed is handling all Around New England October 13th. registration, so please contact them if On Saturday, October 9th The Dudley interested. 203-488-5693. Farm will be hosting an vintage machine December finds us getting ready for the show. You’re invited to see some unique holidays with our Open House and equipment! Market. Our Annual Meeting on October 21st will Where did the summer go? include our pot luck dinner and a And of course, updated information will presentation “The Dudley Farm Museum; also be available through Dudley Farm Moving from the 19th Century to the 21st Doings. Century and Beyond; How We Got There.” We look forward to seeing you “down on We will post updates on our webpage. the Farm.” We finish up the month with a return of our Annual Harvest Day! After a year’s hiatus (thanks to Covid) we plan to have a All for Love variety of demonstrations and events to celebrate the end of our season, and will A Guilford Swain Takes Laudanum – include games for our young visitors. The Mustard Saves His Life New England Lace Group will return to show off their bobbin lace making skills, and the Antique Tools and Trades in Connecticut Club will have members here to show off their collections, swap with others, or even give you an estimate of value on your special vintage tool or small piece of equipment. The blacksmith shop will be open, and our laundry center in operation. (Kids and water – always a winning combination!) There will be demonstrations of 19th century skills and crafts. Lunch items will be available for purchase, and the event is free. Come join in on the fun! So mark your calendar for October 30th from 9AM This town is all agog today in consequence to 2PM. And don’t forget our Market! of knowledge that just came to light of he November attempted suicide of a well-known And just after Halloween, Beth will Guilford young man. “Wink” Buell, about present Rest in Peace. Dudley Family 19 years of age, came here from Clinton Gravestone Symbols and Inscriptions, three years ago, and has been employed North Guilford. 1733-1991 November 3, ever since at the foundry of I. S. Spencer’s while Jim Powers will finish our lecture Sons. Two years ago he began paying
marked attention to Miss Kittie, the was living in a household of his own near
daughter of Captain Ralph Wheat, one of the Thomas Griswold House on Boston
the leading citizens of the town. All went Street.
along pleasantly as a June day until one, The nicknames given of “Kittie” (Wheat)
Jones, about 20 years old, one day early and “Wink” (Buell) make their
last week took Miss Wheat to ride, and a identifications difficult. In 1880, Captain
day or two later, it is alleged, got Buell & Mrs. Wheat’s 18-year-old-daughter,
drunk in New Haven and went with him Emma, worked in the "Button Shop” at
in that condition to Miss Wheat’s house. what is now 66 High Street. She could
Miss Wheat was disgusted, and told Buell very well be the same “Miss Kittie” who
she wanted nothing more to do with him. would have been about the same age as
Buell became very disconsolate when he Wink Buell. Dr. G.P. Reynolds named in
sobered up, and grew desperate at the the article also died in 1897.”
thought of his blighted love. Friday The article was found in our 1887
evening he started for Miss Wheat’s home Webster dictionary. Why was it kept?
with a bottle of laudanum in his pocket.
He met her at the gate and threatened to
commit suicide if he was not forgiven and Grant Writing During a
reinstated in her affections. Miss Wheat Pandemic
was obdurate. Then immediately in her Laurie Caraway
presence young swallowed the laudanum.
Miss Wheat did not faint or make a great
out-cry, but quietly invited Buell to walk This summer The Dudley
with her to a neighbor’s house. When he Farm Museum received a
was safely housed he was made to take a grant to participate in the
stiff dose of mustard. Then Dr. Reynolds “Connecticut Summer at the
was sent for, and by use of an antidote Museum” program which allowed
and stomach pump Buell was soon out of Connecticut children age 18 and under
danger. To-day Buell is at his work in the plus one accompanying Connecticut
foundry the object of innumerable jibes resident adult to visit free of charge. This
and jokes, while Miss Wheat is spinning program was made possible through an
about on a brand new bicycle just as if investment from the federal COVID-19
nothing had happened. recovery funding Connecticut received
From the Shoreline Times, July. 1887 from the American Rescue Plan Act and
was administered by the Connecticut
Well! So who were these people? Joel
Department of Economic and Community
Helander gave us some help.
Development’s Office of the Arts in
"Captain Ralph Wheat” (1834–1897) partnership with Connecticut Humanities.
named in the article was a Glastonbury, We thank Connecticut Humanities for
CT resident who moved to Guilford about encouraging us to apply for this program’s
1867. He had been a sailor on whaling grant.
vessels for many years, but retired as a
“painter” in Guilford. This information
In June Farm Credit
comes from his Shore Line Times obituary.
East awarded The
The 1870 Federal census shows that
Dudley Farm Farmers’
Captain Wheat was living in the
Market money to purchase additional
household of Elisha Hart at the corner of
yard signs to help increase awareness of
Whitfield and High Streets; in 1880, he
our vibrant Saturday morning Farmers’Market. We thank Farm Credit East for What Old Thing is New at The
supporting our market. Dudley Farm Museum
About Plows – Andy Sistrand
In August The Community Foundation for The Dudley Farm
Greater New Haven awarded $5,000 to recently acquired a
The Dudley Farm Museum to be used for Syracuse chilled
operating the museum and curating our iron sulky plow
collection of artifacts representing the circa 1879-1900, a
Quinnipiac People. We thank The machine pulled by
Community Foundation for Greater New a team of horses.
Haven very much for helping support our The word “sulky”
mission. was borrowed from
the world of horse-
If you know of any funding opportunities racing, and like its
and ideas that might help The Dudley namesake, the
Farm Museum, please send an email to sulky plow
director@dudleyfarm.com. We’re always provided a seat for the farmer, though not
on the look-out but would appreciate a very comfortable one. The sulky plow
hearing about new ones. Thank you! replaced the walking plow; the farmer, it
was said, had better control of the blades,
and it was less work for him to ride
Thanks ….
instead of walk. Soon 2 and 3 blade sulky
As Summer Ends… plows were developed, called “gang plows.”
We would like to thank our docents, The more plow blades, the faster a field
Monique, Kate, Sharon and Karen, for could be plowed.
their enthusiastic interest and loyal
participation in The Dudley Farm In the early nineteenth century,
Museum this summer. We had some very blacksmiths fabricated the farmer’s plow.
busy days, and those days would have The moldboards were wood or wrought
been far more difficult without iron, and the wrought iron plowshares
them! Thank you so much. were tipped with steel, which was more
Our intern, Andy Sistrand, went beyond durable than iron and held an edge much
the call by acting as mentor to our longer. While there were many attempts to
high school volunteer, Harry Young. Andy improve plow design, it was John Deere
taught Harry how to clean and oil some of who patented and manufactured the first
the many tools in our collections (how practical mass-produced steel plows.
many planes do we really need?) as well Deere made his first steel plow in 1837, in
as helping to determine what items to response to Midwest farmers who were
keep. We were fortunate to have such self- looking for a better tool. Wooden or cast-
motivated and reliable people here for the iron moldboards didn’t scour well; the
summer. sticky Midwest soil stuck to them, and the
And did you notice? We have articles in farmer would have to frequently scrape
our newsletter written not only by one of them off, slowing him down. Polished steel
our docents from Andy as well. We hope solved that problem, and Deere used cast-
you enjoy them. off sawmill blades for his steel. As
production increased, Deere had to lookbeyond old saw blades for steel, and ended 1910-11, Deere and Company began
up purchasing English Sheffield steel until expanding its holdings. Attracted by the
1844, when an American firm was able to success of the Syracuse Chilled Plow,
supply him. But steel was still expensive. John Deere acquired the company, which
became a subsidiary in 1919.
In 1857, James Oliver and Harvey Little
patented a process for producing “chilled Our sulky plow was a gift from Barbara
iron.” Chilled iron is so called because the Travisano in memory of her parents, Philip
iron is chilled after casting, a process that and Nancy Federico.
produced a hardened surface while the
interior was softer and more shock- The Community Garden
Judy Stone
resistant. The result was a tough iron with
a hardened surface that resisted wear,
The Community Garden is once more
and a moldboard that could be polished
bursting with flowers and vegetables. We
nearly as well as steel; best of all, chilled
have been lucky this year to have had
iron was much cheaper to produce than
enough rainfall, compared to many places
steel. Oliver began manufacturing plows,
in this country. And it has been so good to
and the Oliver Chilled Iron Plow Company
be able to resume our traditional
became the industry leader.
cookouts.
Success breeds competition, and Oliver This year the Heritage Garden had a
soon had a rival. The Syracuse Chilled different theme, having needed crop
Iron Plow Company began as the Robinson rotation. Unfortunately, a bumper crop of
Chilled Plow Company in 1876, based on woodchucks benefited from everything
patents held by the Wiard family. The that was planted, except for the fiber flax
Wiards bought the Robinson company in and a struggling front flower border. Next
1879 and changed the name to the year we need to work on proper fencing.
Syracuse Chilled Iron Plow Company. The The flax, however, produced a good crop
Wiard family came to America in the which has been harvested and is being
seventeenth century and settled in the dried in preparation for further
Hartford, Connecticut area. Some of the processing.
Wiards moved west in the early nineteenth Flax was a very common crop in the early
century, including Thomas Wiard, who days in New England, since wool and
moved to New York State. His son linen were the primary fibers used for
Matthew designed and patented an iron clothing before cotton production took
plow that became the basis for the over. The Dudley Farm has all of the tools
Robinson company. and implements needed to process the
flax plant, and we look forward to enough
At its peak, in the early 20th century, The of a crop to experiment with making linen
Syracuse Chilled Plow Company sold more thread and cloth. If you or someone you
than 100,000 plows each year in every know is interested in this, please put
corner of the world. The company’s slogan them in touch with me, or the Farm
was, “The sun never sets on a Syracuse office.
plow.” Eventually, other farming Our volunteers have put in many hours
implements were added to the line. The on all the gardens. If you are interested in
company employed more than 300 people helping with these, please get in touch--
in its factory, which covered a square there are tasks for people of any skill level.
block of Syracuse’s Near West Side. In In particular the apple orchard needs vineremoval, and the Heritage garden needs students and had acted as mentors to
cleaning and planting with a cover crop. younger siblings.
On June 26th we were a host site for the At Mount Holyoke, “special students”
first area Pollinator Pathway tour. On were often teachers who attended not only
September 8th we are hosting the Guilford for academic growth, but also to learn the
Garden Club for their September meeting professional skills necessary to maintain
and providing a talk on Organic order in the classroom, and to be able to
Gardening, with the Community Garden instill in her students the discipline
as an example. necessary for employment in the new
industrial economy of the nineteenth
Again, it has been such a pleasure to have century. Mary Lyon modeled her seminary
a safe place to gather and work together. after the Hartford Retreat, an asylum for
Happy gardening! the insane. Mary Lyon’s sister, Loving
Lyon Putnam, suffered a mental
Dudley Farm Women at Mount breakdown as a result of the illness and
Holyoke death of her husband, and had been
Andy Sistrand admitted to the Hartford Retreat as a
patient. When she came back, Mary was
Two of the Dudley Farm women attended very impressed by her sister’s calmness
Mount Holyoke College. Martha Crowell and self-government. The asylum created
Munger, who later married Erastus a peaceful, orderly environment; there was
Dudley II, attended the school when it was a regular, daily routine imposed on
still a female seminary in the early 1870’s, patients, run by the clock, that included
and her daughter, Mabel Dudley, attended therapeutic work, silence, and periods of
in the late 1890’s, when it had become a private devotion—"a place of perfect
college. Both women were school teachers. order.” One of the difficulties facing young
Martha Munger was teaching school by female teachers was maintaining order in
age sixteen, and like many young teachers the classroom, and winning the attention
who wanted more advanced training, went and respect of her students; the system
to Mount Holyoke as a “special student,” developed by Mary Lyon, and her close
who did not get a degree but who went friend and mentor Zilpah Grant, modeled
there for a year or two to get teacher on the asylum routine, was designed to do
training. just that.
Mount Holyoke was founded as a female There had been a rise in mental
seminary in 1837 by Mary Lyon, a school disorders, including alcoholism, early in
teacher, in South Hadley, Massachusetts; the nineteenth century, which was linked
its purpose was to train women for to the cultural shift from farm labor to
teaching and for republican motherhood. industrial labor; farming people weren’t
Education was taken seriously in New used to a life ordered by the outside
England, and the common schools authority of a mill owner, and run by the
provided a basic education. The clock. The discipline imposed by the
population was expanding rapidly, and female seminary was similar to that
there was a continual need for schools imposed by, for example, the Lowell textile
and for teachers. Teachers in those days mills in Massachusetts, which employed
were often recent graduates of those same farm girls when it first began operations.
common schools, girls who had been good The seminary students lived by the bell,
marking off the activities of the day. Order
was maintained in the classroom; nowhispering or fidgeting. There were strict you can explore and write about for our
rules governing every aspect of the newsletter. Or maybe you’re more into the
seminary experience. Students were mechanics of producing our newsletter.
required to do physical exercise—to walk We have an editorial guide as well as a
one mile each day, and to perform template. Intrigued? Let us know.
calisthenics. Mary Lyon was a student of Publicity: The Dudley Farm Museum
Ben Franklin as well, and incorporated needs volunteers with writing and graphic
his aphorisms into her philosophy—“early design experience to create flyers, ads,
to bed,” and et cetera. Religion was also and press releases. Maybe you’d enjoy
an important element—the seminary posting items of interest on our Facebook
opened in 1837, during the Second Great page. Other volunteers may help us
Awakening period, and Mary Lyon had prepare mailings or distribute publicity
experienced a religious conversion. She materials as needed to promote upcoming
became an effective lay preacher herself, events. Help us get the word out!
and Mount Holyoke became known for its
religious conversions. And we hope to see YOU down on the
The women who attended the seminaries farm!
established the kind of schoolroom order
that many of us grew up with. A teacher From Shoe-Leather to Fancy
who allowed her students to defy her with Coaches: Erastus Dudley’s
disorderly conduct and disrespectful
Daybook Tells a Story
behavior could not be an effective teacher. Andy Sistrand
Martha Crowell Munger Dudley and her
daughter, Mabel Dudley Rossiter, both
Most of you know that Guilford was the
were teachers, but both were refined,
largest Connecticut producer of shoes in
middle class women: they did not teach
the early nineteenth century, and that
once they were married, and became full-
Erastus Dudley’s tannery supplied some
time housewives and mothers.
of the leather to make those shoes. But
Dudley also supplied New Haven carriage
Museum Wish List and coach makers with leather as well.
Some research in the Guilford library’s
Calling all Volunteers! Local History room, and a close look at
Farm equipment and tools: We have Erastus Dudley’s daybook, which
farm tools and equipment to identify, recorded his daily transactions from
photograph and add to our collection 1841-1850, provided the details.
database. Love all this old stuff? Our Erastus, at age 58, sold the tannery,
intern along with our high school tanbark mill, and the rest of his mill
volunteer mad quite a dent into this operation on the West River, to his four
project over the summer. Want to know sons on December 24, 1841. Apparently,
more? Call us! he wasn’t ready to retire, acting as a
Buildings and Grounds: If garden upkeep dealer in tanned hides, neatsfoot oil, shoe-
is your thing, we could use your skills in wax, and other leather-working supplies.
our herb garden, along the picket fence Although the heyday of Guilford’s
and around the Farmhouse. shoemaking had already peaked and had
Newsletter: Maybe you’d rather write begun tapering off, it was still an active
than speak before our visitors. The Dudley business in 1841. In the census of 1850,
Farm Museum has so many topics whichthere were still over thirty shoemakers Among the local shoemakers who dealt listed, and one shoe dealer. with Dudley was Lyman Blake. Blake Shoes were made by hand using the seems to have been on the payroll, besides “putting-out” system, a type of cottage being a customer. Possibly Dudley had industry. There were eleven shops in him making shoes, which he then Guilford at its peak. The shops prepared marketed. the leather pieces that made up the shoes, Dudley also sold tanned hides to curriers cutting them to shape. Then the pieces and leather dealers in New Haven and were distributed to local farm families, Hartford. He handled sheep skins as well who sewed the uppers together. This was as cow and calf; sheep skins were used to a family affair, with women and children line fine shoes, for making bellows, doing most of the work. The families were workmen’s aprons; and lambskins were paid for completed work, on a piecework used for making gloves. The currier basis. The shoes would be completed in finished the tanned hides, splitting them, the shops, with the uppers attached to the making them uniform thickness, soles, and then would then be turned over stretching and burnishing to make them to a dealer, who would arrange for the sale strong, supple, and waterproof, and and shipment of the shoes. dyeing them. The finished hides would The shoes were a cheap, ready-made then be sold to custom shoe and utilitarian shoe called brogans, or plow- bootmakers, glove-makers, harness and shoes. Brogan is a Gaelic word for shoe, saddle makers, and to the carriage and and they were laced up rather than using coach shops to be used to make seats. buckles. They came to be known as New Haven carriage and coach makers “Jefferson Shoes.” The name goes back to were world-renowned for producing some Thomas Jefferson, who wore laced shoes of the finest such vehicles. Andrew at his inauguration in 1801 to show Jackson and James Buchanan owned solidarity with the French revolutionists. New Haven carriages. Southern plantation During the French Revolution, fancy shoe owners were one of the largest markets; buckles were associated with the they thought of themselves as an aristocrats. Jefferson started a fashion aristocracy, and emulated the British and trend, and the term “Jefferson” continued European upper crust. Fine New Haven to mean laced shoes until the early carriages could be seen on race days in twentieth century. Brogans were made in the South, proudly emblazoned with the standard sizes on straight lasts—there owner’s family crest. were no lefts or rights; the shoes would The Civil War contributed to the demise conform to the feet of the wearer with use. of the shoe business in Connecticut, and Brogans were also called common shoes, the decline of the carriage business as and they were worn by children with well. In 1858, a patent was issued to growing feet, and for utilitarian use by Lyman Blake for a machine that could farm workers. However, for those who sew the soles of shoes to the uppers. This could afford it, custom made shoes were was not the same man who lived in available locally from skilled shoemakers Guilford; this Lyman Blake lived in South who had served a seven-year Abington, Massachusetts. He later teamed apprenticeship. If you wanted the latest up with a Colonel McKay, and the European fashions, you could go to New machine they perfected revolutionized Haven and get custom made shoes. But shoe manufacturing. When the Civil War most of the brogans went South, to shoe came along, there was a tremendous need the feet of enslaved plantation workers. for shoes for soldiers, on both sides. The
tariff on foreign shoes was suspended, If you would like to see shoes made with and shoe shops were hard pressed to find wooden pegs, visit Old Sturbridge Village workers, many of whom had marched off in Massachusetts and watch the village to war. In any case, the brogans produced shoemaker at work. Shoemaking was a in Guilford had soles that were pegged to popular trade in the olden days; there was the uppers with wooden shoe-pegs, which always steady work. The itinerant were introduced around 1818 as an shoemaker would make his rounds each alternative to nails, which didn’t hold up year in remote rural communities, as well as pegs. But these pegged shoes boarding with the family while he made didn’t hold up well in military use, and new shoes for them, using materials they shoes with sewn soles were in demand by supplied. A good shoemaker always had the Army. Large operations sprang up in work--as someone pointed out, “children Massachusetts, which became the biggest are born bare-footed, and must have producer of machine-made shoes, made in shoes.” Business was good for tanners as standard sizes, and of higher quality than well, and they often became wealthy, as the old pegged shoes. They also were Erastus Dudley did. President U. S. Grant made in lefts and rights. That was the end started as a tanner. of the shoe-biz in Connecticut. The Civil War was also bad news for the carriage makers of New Haven. Not only did they lose a large customer base, but the money owed by Southern customers became uncollectible. Many carriage shops went bust. The ones that survived did quite well, shifting to producing wagons and gun carriages for the army. Here are some shoe facts: A shoemaker makes shoes from new leather. A cobbler works only with old leather; in other words, repairs shoes. To call a shoemaker a cobbler would have been an insult. Cordwainer is an English term for shoemaker, derived from the French. A fancy city shoemaker, who was able to make the latest European fashions, might have styled himself a cordwainer. Shoemakers made their shoes on wooden lasts; the iron lasts so often seen were used mainly for cheap repairs using nails. The nails driven through the soles would be clinched against the iron last. These were often found on homesteads for homemade repairs.
Heritage Apple Wordsearch
The Dudley Farm Farmers’ Market Saturday Morning, 9 AM to 12:30 PM through December The Dudley Foundation Annual Meeting and Potluck: October 21, 2021 For more information: www.dudleyfarm.com Ph. 203-457-0770 or email: Info@dudleyfarm.com
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