True Farmhouse Memories!
This post has a little bit of farming history, although it isn't a project to put your hands on it is a view into the world of farming/gardening, and home design. Today's new farm decor owes some of it's features to our ancestors life of simple necessity. Join me for a few memories. (quite a few memories, actually).
Uncle's Tractor
Isn't it a beauty?
Farming, row crops, farmhouses, farm animals all have been on my mind lately. We lease this land out where we are to farmers, so when I hear a piece of farm equipment in the fields those memories come to mind.
The following picture, although not the same, reminds me of one that my Grandma Goldie had hanging on her wall. She framed hers from an issue of Progressive Farmer. Farming was hard and the farming family had to take what they had and use it to the fullest. Now they were some of the best DIYers ever! Talk about re-purposing things! Today I share other's pictures because I have none of our family farm pictures. These will give you an idea of the true farm life in those days.
The farmland above in picture is from Kansas and has statistics on that page that says 10% of farmland to change ownership by 2019. People are selling off their farmland to outsiders, those not related to them at a faster pace than in the past. Sad, isn't it?
Land, the most important thing to have to farm, whether it is owned, sharecropped, or leased. Of course you have to have land! Farm equipment too like my family's tractor above in the picture of the old days. Now they farm with such huge equipment!
{
"id": "3836464",
"alt": "",
"title": "",
"video_link": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/YSOYTFw0JaA",
"youtube_video_id": "YSOYTFw0JaA"
}
{
"width": 634,
"height": 357,
"showRelated": true
}
This scene from Gone with the Wind has always stuck with me so I must share the video. It says it all when her father is speaking to Katie Scarlett O'Hara about Tara, the land!
You know this is my favorite movie of all time, right?
"Land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for.
Because it's the only thing that lasts!"
There were barns for housing/milking animals and fenced in areas for grazing as well. Many a time we children bumped up against an electric fence. It gave us a jolt for sure. But oh how we loved to watch the animals. The barns were beautiful!
I remember well the windmill that one set of grandparents had on their farm for supplying some of their watering needs. We children would run around and play in the area. I can remember just standing there watching that thing move and work! It was amazing to me for sure!
This handpump and trough looks like one that my grandparents had next to a fence with farm animals. It was located in the same area as the windmill. Made for easier watering of all the cows, pigs, chickens, goats and other farm animals they had on that farm. I have fond memories of grandmother Johnson bottle feeding some of her baby animals.
We visited our grandparents at least once a week during my growing up. There were five of us so we took turns spending a week at grandma's every summer. When I think about it now she and grandpa 'Goodson' certainly were troopers! There were other cousins that did the same so their house was full of family most of the time! Those were the times that inspired the true love of country farm living for me.
Both grandparents had these on the farm, the tobacco barns. I spent many summers under them handing that sticky wet mess called tobacco leaves to the older girls and ladies. They were called 'The Stringers' and I aspired one day to be one of them. (How crazy was I)? They would take tobacco twine to wind and string the green tobacco leaves onto tobacco sticks. Then they would put them into the barns that were heated to bake, cook, cure--dry the leaves. They fire cured the tobacco. I can still smell them cooking. I remember the grandpas going out in the middle of the night to check on this baking process. Excuse my child like explanations because that is all I know of it. Farmers feel free to comment and explain to us in correct terms.
Tobacco now that is one crop I'm glad to never have to help with again, although I have wonderful memories of being on the farm and listening to the farmhands talk and laugh.
The boys were all too excited to be able to become old enough to drive the tractor and pull the drag in with the harvested green tobacco leaves full for us to hand and string.
One grandpa in particular would go to town and get Pepsis and nabs (cheese crackers, which were stacked in a count of 4 then) for us to take a break and all farm hands were plum excited each time they helped "Goodson".
The Pack House Barn is where they took the cured/cooked tobacco leaves to be taken off of the sticks that they had been strung on. I did take-off some tobacco when little as well. It wasn't sticky at that stage and for some strange reason smelled very good to me. I did more of this on grandpa Johnson's farm.
This is a tobacco stick strung with tobacco that has been cured/baked in the tobacco barn before taking-off of the stick. The leaves had to be loose, I think or did they tie it into a bundle I don't remember that well. Either way they had to prepare it to take to market where it would be bid on and purchased by tobacco buyers. Now I didn't get to go to market but once, being a girl the boys got to go and witness that process more.
I love the farmhouse decor of today but the true farmhouse stands out in my mind and will forever be there. I'll share some of that today along with a touch of farming memories with you and compare the two.
Let's take a walk up to the house!
Farm wives kept it real, they really did! They kept clean, but very useful homes. Most all items that were in my grandparents' homes at least, were things they had to use to function. Oh, they had the few special sentimental items that were from family members but most everything else was used. Not many frivolous items were found.
At the same time I remember one grandmother, 'Goldie', having a formal dining room and living room. Nice formal dining room set with stained wood buffet, sidebar and more. In the living room she had a velvet sofa and chair with more formal coffee and end tables. She had a 'figuring brain' I was told by many and if there was a way she'd get and keep some pretty nice things.
Both sets of grandparents had homes that resembled this. One was a little more rustic of course but both had wrap around porches!
I absolutely loved the wrap around porches they had on that home! Many hours were spent running around, swinging and playing on them! They loved them because they gave added space and mainly relief from the heat of the house.
Grandmama Cora used her back porch for her wringer type washing machine so plenty of work went on out there.
You can be sure that aprons were part of the decoration in that home kitchen. Plenty of them too or at least two at all times. One would be for everyday and one nicer one would be kept cleaner for Sunday wear. She told me this many times. Fabric was affordable and she loved to sew. Feed sacks were saved and used as well. Nothing was wasted in those days.
They used all things until they needed repairing or replacing. Farming was indeed hard work and didn't pay a lot. I recall seeing their farm journals (little notepads) filled with information. Supplies, labor, costs, net profits etc.
The picture above not mine found on internet, but so closely resembles them. He and his overalls, she and her apron.
Yep, my granddaddy 'Goodson' wore overalls and was a very hard worker. People would come by and see him in his ditch weeding. They'd say, "That Goodson is the cleaningest man I ever did see!" They were right of course everything was clean! The only time he would take them off was on Sunday's. He took his bath on Saturday night and put on his best as did they all, Sunday clothes, then.
Times were harder and my grandparents, although a few years earlier, had gone through 'The Depression'. Those were especially hard times. I do believe they would say to me "We had it better than most! We raised what we needed with the exception of sugar, we had to get rations for that." They grew some sugar cane I do remember, maybe it wasn't enough?
Farming was a hard back breaking life and still is today although with new resources it seems a little easier. All farming depends on many factors, that is one thing for sure!
The Old Handpump
In earlier years this would be the source of water that had to be pumped and taken into the house for use. I do remember my grandparents having one of their back porches and some of the best water I ever tasted came from those handpumps!
The Old Handpump
In earlier years this would be the source of water that had to be pumped and taken into the house for use. I do remember my grandparents having one of their back porches and some of the best water I ever tasted came from those handpumps!
Notice the tin bucket and enameled pan. Those were staples in homes back then!
They spoke often of the colder, better water that came from these pumps! It was true!
The 'Dipper' Water Ladle
Now, this well used and by all mind you item the dipper as it was called, the water ladle. I couldn't imagine how everybody would use the same one, and over and over again. I declare I don't know how they stayed well and actually they were pretty dern strong health wise. It took something major to take them out. Maybe that's the secret? I don't know.
I've exceeded my photo limit so if interested you may click the link below to see more of how the inside of a true farmhouse looked in my grandparent's day.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
Join the conversation
2 comments
-
How beautiful and so inspiring. Farmers are a very special group of people and we often forget how much they contribute to society and our morals. Thank you for this glimpse of your lovely memories
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?