Fences: Keeping ‘em in or Keeping ‘em Out!
Squabbles over fences leave some irate and some tolerant while others become nostalgic. A quick search for “fence” in the archives revealed this unsigned Olin Dows print in “The Southlands Foundation Collection (TSF)”. Despite burned edges, the brush strokes and details evoked memories of winter on the farm.
In the “Astor Map Collection,” the map dated 1903 for a proposed power house in Rhinecliff with a coal storage room, ventilator, pump filter room, entrance passage and a railroad fence was drawn with pencil on transparent paper. I am always drawn to a map.
Dated 1871, a dispute between neighbors was found alongside receipts and watercolors of bucolic country scenes. This notice addressed to the fence viewers of Stanford was discovered in the “DAR Collection” in the RHS Archives. It was written by John I. Stickles to explain his dispute with his neighbor Harry Briggs and to ask for the fence viewers to “appoint a day to meet upon the lands” “to hear the statements and allegations of the parties and settle the matters in dispute”. What a thought-provoking find! We have not discovered how the dispute was resolved; it may be lost to speculation.
Barn with white rail fence and a drive leading into the farm yard. From “The Southlands Foundation” (TSF) Collection, this unsigned Olin Dows watercolor complements the title image and evokes a similar nostalgia for another season on the farm. The watercolor on the reverse was damaged with only some green and brown watercolor remaining.
These are just a few of the results discovered by entering the search term “Fence.” There is more to discover.
Happy Researching. See you in November!
From the Archives,
Researcher Bonnie Wood
October 2024