Tuesday evening, my Village Runners friends and I ran in shorts. Three days later, it’s snowing.
This (almost) spring’s topsy-turvy weather made me think of a very interesting article I read in the most recent Penny Farthing newsletter created by the volunteers at the Webster Museum. Titled “Plow, Plant, Harvest, and Hearth,” it took a closer look at what life was like in early Webster in each of the four seasons. I repost that article here for your enjoyment:
Plow, Plant, Harvest, and Hearth — Life in Early Webster Through the Four Seasons
Winter found older kids in school, people reading, making ice cream, maybe having a bath, eating the “put up” foods, and women and girls sewing, mending, knitting and quilting. Men and boys were busy repairing equipment and caring for the animals. Everyone was looking through the Sears Catalog and thinking about Christmas. Winter was a time of sickness and if a doctor was not available, the women knew what herbs to use.
Spring brought longer days, fresh greens, grass for the animals, maple syrup, sheep shearing, barn and house cleaning, and maybe move the outhouse if the pit was getting full. Crops were planted in freshly prepared fields and boys were out of school to work on the farm.
Summer brought soap making, laundry drying outside, smaller kids in school, swimming if a pond or creek was nearby, 4th of July celebrations, neighborhood gatherings and picnics. Much of the work was maintaining fields, gardens, and fruit trees. Also making butter and mending fences.
Fall found farm families butchering and preserving meat in salt or drying for winter. Wheat and oats were harvested for the animals or sold, and fruit and vegetables were picked and dried or “put up.” Pumpkins were preserved as they were high in Vitamin C. Barns were prepared and houses were cleaned and made ready for winter.
Some things haven’t changed. Winter is still a time of sickness, and I still like to hang my laundry outside and gather with neighbors and friends. But I am glad we no longer have to churn our own butter, thank you.
This article was just one of several very interesting historical tidbits in the spring edition of the Penny Farthing. They come out quarterly, and if you like learning about Webster’s fascinating history, you should subscribe. If you’d like to be added to the distribution list, email WebsterMuseum@gmail.com. If you’d like to see this month’s edition, click here, and to see past editions, click here.
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(posted 3/13/2026)
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