Tonight, we drove across the state to the little town of Francestown, New Hampshire, historically-known for its Soapstone production, and its sheep. Indeed, according Steve Taylor, New Hampshire’s former Commissioner of Agriculture for 25 years, in 1836 the census for sheep revealed a population of 7,230 of the farm animals in that town. Sheep were counted because they were taxed. He credits William Jarvis as having secured 15,000 Merino sheep that were imported from Spain and distributed along the eastern seaboard. By 1815, he states, “New Hampshire was in the sheep business.”
These are two of the four sheep on hand, outside the Old Meetinghouse, to greet visitors to this event sponsored by the NH Humanities Council. In addition, there was a vendor who was selling wool products; and Deb Weymouth of Brimstone Hollow Farm in Hancock, NH who was demonstrating the art of dyeing wool. She had two pots of boiling dye baths in different colors. She uses commercially-made, chemical dye. She explained that sometimes she dyes raw wool, or roving that she has spun. Deb is also a quilter who sells traditional Log Cabin Quilts that are tied. For more information, contact her at: (603) 525-3070.
Inside the building, that appears to have been a church at one time, each pew has a swinging door that latches. In the past, churchgoers of New England would rent pew space, and before central heating, people would carry their cat or dog to keep their feet warm during lengthy services, or a device that held hot coals from the hearth. In what was probably the altar area, a weaving loom had been set up by Harrisville Designs, and a spinning wheel was also in view. These implements of textile product, as well as wool yarn that had been dyed, and that was hanging in a vertical display, all added ambience, and were visual reminders of the importance of sheep and their derivative products in New Hampshire’s early landscape.
This lecture was absolutely riveting as the speaker shared early facts about New Hampshire that only reinforced information we had heard this past Spring in a 6 week course presented R. Stuart Wallace, Ph.D., at the New Hampshire Historical Society. Taylor spoke at length about the stonewalls of this state and their importance. He states that the stonewalls are of “iconic significance,” but revealed that some of them were torn down, buried, or hauled off, beginning in the 1950s. Today, there are regulations in place to help preserve them intact.
To listen to a reading of Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall,” a poem about a stonewall.
The speaker recommends this book:
The speaker is no stranger to agriculture, having been exposed to sheep as a youngster, on his parents’ farm. He now owns 130 dairy cows of his own, and has spent a lifetime studying the impact of animals and agriculture as they relate to history. His knowledge was shared in a way that was enjoyable and understandable to the large audience present this evening. After the talk, many had questions for him. Without hesitation, he had an answer for every one of them. We learned that there is absolutely no market commercially for fleece from New England producers of wool, and that large companies who sell woolen goods are being supplied by wool growers in Australia.
This is one talk I would highly recommend. Steve Taylor showed the connections between sheep growing and all the small mills that started up to process the wool: scouring mills, carding mills, weaving mills, etc. He cited all the reasons that came together in a “perfect storm” to end the Great Sheep Boom in New Hampshire. I felt enriched having heard this presentation.
Beforehand, Jim walked around town with his camera and found a few interesting things to photograph. First of all, here is the Old Meetinghouse.
He also spotted this roadside marker:
Finally, he came across a war monument between two large flagpoles:
Monument to World War I soldiers, in Francestown.
We came away from this lecture thinking about how much we had learned and how much we love New Hampshire and its history. We certainly have no shortage of talented, knowledgeable, and ingenious people living here. Many thanks to all who participated in sheep related activities inside and outside the Meetinghouse, the person who displayed sheep paintings, and those who prepared refreshments and provided raffle items, and to all the members of the Francestown Historical Society for hosting this speaker.
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
Tags: Wool Production
Pat,
An interesting fact about sheep–Did you know that during WWI, Woodrow Wilson’s wife grazed sheep on the white House lawn. The wool from the sheep was sold to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.
Thank you for this wonderful description of Steve Taylor’s excellent program. The NH Humanities Council is proud to make Taylor’s programs available through our Humanities to Go grant program. Any organization can bring a humanities program to their community, and these events are free and open to all. Learn how to host an event, or find events near you on our website at http://www.nhhc.org.