Marion Davis was a member of what I call the 'bridge generation', the generation that depended on 'horse power' initially and then railroad and the combustion engine. It amazes me that my grandfather farmed with horses (my father as a boy ploughed with horses). He later built his own tractor from a Model T to pull his horse drawn equipment. Cattle drives in New England go back to the early 1700s when New England was rural and the initial 'turnpikes' were straight roads built for cattle drives, either to pasture or the market. Tolls were 2 cents a head for cattle or a dozen pigs. Brighton Mass had the largest cattle market in the East. Cattle drives to Brighton came from Vermont and Maine as well as eastern NH. Cattle owners made arrangements with landowners along the way to graze their cattle and hold the cattle overnight at 10 cents /head. Inns and taverns sprung up on the cattle routes. There was no school on Mondays in Brighton (later changed to Thursdays) because ot was cattle auction day. Cattle could only travel 10 mi/day without losing weight, and some drives were over 100 miles. There was trading along the way, so that the herd could grow (or dwindle) depending on the expected prices in Brighton. There were cattle drives just for pasturing. Marsh grasses around Boston provided valuable fodder. It was a New England tradition that went back to the 1600s. Some say that it is the number of cattle held by colonial Americans that allowed them to defeat the British. However the public that rode in horse drawn carts did not like being behind a herd of cattle going 2 mph.
The rise of the automobile put an end to New England drives. However, the town I presently live in has a 'right-to-farm' law which means you can't complain about driving being slow moving tractors.
In spite of that, in 2013 I was rear ended while I was driving my tractor on the road along my farm.
Interesting...I always wondered where the Peppermint Tavern was. Livingston is a family name. I'll have to do a little research to see if the "Handsome" girls were related.
Marion Davis was a member of what I call the 'bridge generation', the generation that depended on 'horse power' initially and then railroad and the combustion engine. It amazes me that my grandfather farmed with horses (my father as a boy ploughed with horses). He later built his own tractor from a Model T to pull his horse drawn equipment. Cattle drives in New England go back to the early 1700s when New England was rural and the initial 'turnpikes' were straight roads built for cattle drives, either to pasture or the market. Tolls were 2 cents a head for cattle or a dozen pigs. Brighton Mass had the largest cattle market in the East. Cattle drives to Brighton came from Vermont and Maine as well as eastern NH. Cattle owners made arrangements with landowners along the way to graze their cattle and hold the cattle overnight at 10 cents /head. Inns and taverns sprung up on the cattle routes. There was no school on Mondays in Brighton (later changed to Thursdays) because ot was cattle auction day. Cattle could only travel 10 mi/day without losing weight, and some drives were over 100 miles. There was trading along the way, so that the herd could grow (or dwindle) depending on the expected prices in Brighton. There were cattle drives just for pasturing. Marsh grasses around Boston provided valuable fodder. It was a New England tradition that went back to the 1600s. Some say that it is the number of cattle held by colonial Americans that allowed them to defeat the British. However the public that rode in horse drawn carts did not like being behind a herd of cattle going 2 mph.
The rise of the automobile put an end to New England drives. However, the town I presently live in has a 'right-to-farm' law which means you can't complain about driving being slow moving tractors.
In spite of that, in 2013 I was rear ended while I was driving my tractor on the road along my farm.
Interesting...I always wondered where the Peppermint Tavern was. Livingston is a family name. I'll have to do a little research to see if the "Handsome" girls were related.
The old, big barn is still there at the Townsend Poor Farm.
I believe that should be Matt Granfors
Thanks for the correction
Matty