Millcast Episode 72

Тәжірибелік нұсқаулар және стиль

Steve Taylor, “Independent Scholar”, shares his lecture on the history of the Merino sheep boom in New England and its lasting effects on the towns and landscape. Learn where the endless miles of stone walls came from, how towns sprang up in the mid-1800s along the waterways, and why the sheep left.
Green Mountain Merinos: From New England to New South Wales in the Nineteenth Century by Rebecca J.H. Woods paper: vermonthistory.org/journal/85...
Music
Intro: "Wordsmith" by Julian Lage from Modern Lore

Пікірлер: 105

  • @estherrubin867
    @estherrubin8673 ай бұрын

    I found Steve’s historical account of the early sheep industry in New England to be fascinating. I could have listened to him for a long time. Thank you for inviting him.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @tapcat4516
    @tapcat45163 ай бұрын

    I love that you're having guest speakers, so informative. Thank you!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @JennyFleming
    @JennyFleming3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for giving him a platform to share his extensive knowledge!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    You bet!

  • @jenniemills5093
    @jenniemills50933 ай бұрын

    Absolutely fascinating! This was so good! Thank you ladies. Steve is a gem.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    We agree!

  • @deechrisman2219
    @deechrisman22193 ай бұрын

    What a wonderful story of the sheep in New Englands history! Thank you!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @PeggyWilliams-tv7xc
    @PeggyWilliams-tv7xc3 ай бұрын

    The history of the sheep industry certainly gives a very real perspective on New England towns economics that I found fascinating. Thx for inviting Steve to the millcast

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @LainedesCanuts
    @LainedesCanuts3 ай бұрын

    I love this mini-series of interviews you’ve been doing! It’s amazing that you’re preserving history/vermont culture like this. You two are so important to the Vermont fiber community as well as the online one😁

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you like them!

  • @deborahcopeland384
    @deborahcopeland3843 ай бұрын

    Wow! Thank you and Mr. Taylor for a fascinating history of Sheep and New England.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!!

  • @betsymathews3323
    @betsymathews33233 ай бұрын

    oh thank you!!! This was an outstanding tour of NE and wooly history!!!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Yay! Glad you liked it!

  • @carolbarhorst2693
    @carolbarhorst2693Ай бұрын

    This was fascinating, educational and interesting to watch. Thank you to Steve and to you for the amazing episode!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    Ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @bethtodd1998
    @bethtodd19983 ай бұрын

    Loved learning about the history of sheep/wool in this area. Steve Taylor is a local treasure. How many town meetings/ school board meetings/ church auctions have I heard him moderate over the years, so, so many. His dry sense of humor that he injected into these events is legendary. He never forgets a name or a face,. He was one of the first people I met when we moved to Plainfield back in 1999. He stopped by my mail box and flagged me down from the yard as he recognized my former last name and wanted to introduce himself. He went to Hanover High with my ex father in law back in the day. He is a very special man that I have been so lucky to know, his entire family is lovely.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Awesome - thank you for sharing!

  • @LottaSocks
    @LottaSocks3 ай бұрын

    Such a fascinating history! I’m so glad I watched. The quantity of sheep! I could listen for hours, especially since I’m into wool, sheep and all the history. Thank you!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for listening!

  • @jetv1471
    @jetv14713 ай бұрын

    “Looks fine guys “ ! 😂 I love Steve’s “tell all “ !, THANK YOU!! I hope he gets plenty of opportunities to talk at the colleges and schools. There is a very very funny cartoon book series about a sheep farmer , his border collie and the sheep called “Footrot flats” that I was turned on to when I visited NZ a few times in the 80s . It’s very very funny !

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Will have to look into Footrot Flats!

  • @daniellejohnson3364
    @daniellejohnson33643 ай бұрын

    Fascinating to hear!! Thanks to Steve and thanks to you for sharing ❤

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Our pleasure!

  • @melanietowner5870
    @melanietowner58703 ай бұрын

    I loved this episode. I love 🎉learning about our sheepy history. Thank you once again peg and Amanda for a great mill cast

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for watching!

  • @aprilmattsen6774
    @aprilmattsen67743 ай бұрын

    Thank you again Amanda and Peg . proud sheep farmer here in Wethersfield

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you liked it!

  • @elaineenstone6834
    @elaineenstone68343 ай бұрын

    I love learning about the history of an area and found Steve's talk fascinating. It would make a good subject for a book. 🇬🇧

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    We agree!

  • @maureenholian1560
    @maureenholian15603 ай бұрын

    Hi Peggy and Amanda, Thanks for a very enjoyable episode. Very informative history lesson Steve! Great interview! Thanks for sharing! Happy Knitting ! 🧶

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching - Happy Knitting to you too!

  • @lindacanfieldchamberlain2073
    @lindacanfieldchamberlain20733 ай бұрын

    What an interesting podcast! Steve seemed very knowledgeable and it was fun to listen to him. I just love knowing the history behind things that we kind of take for granted because, well, they seem to have always been there! Thank you!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for listening!

  • @brendaharrington480
    @brendaharrington4803 ай бұрын

    This was fascinating! Thank you for sharing this history of Vt and New England sheep farming.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Our pleasure - thank you for tuning in!

  • @BikeWaltham
    @BikeWaltham3 ай бұрын

    Thank you!!!! As a midwestern I just could not understand all the stone walls in New England and have been amazed at where in today’s forests that appear. I understood that there had been agricultural but did not realize that sheep had shaped the landscape. Wonderful account and appreciate the full story.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Yay! Glad you liked it!

  • @fiddlestitch89
    @fiddlestitch893 ай бұрын

    This interview was such a treat! Of course the subject is interesting, but Steve's demeanor and style of storytelling is so nostalgic for me as a born-and-bred Mainer, reminding me of the many hours I've spent listening to my older family members. Thank you so much. ❤

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @catherinebuttrick5678
    @catherinebuttrick56783 ай бұрын

    Wow! I grew up in Connecticut. I had no idea of this history of the rise and fall of the sheep industry, and the factors causing this. Thank you so much for this interview with Steve. Fantastic!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you liked it!

  • @maribethclark2798
    @maribethclark27983 ай бұрын

    I found Steve very interesting to fill in some of the gaps in my history. It was awesome for him to include social & political events that shaped farming in New England. My great Uncle had a dairy farm in Vermont, that most likely was former sheep land. Also, another of his brothers had farm and dairy in western Massachusetts. Haying is a big deal. One other relative is leasing his land for hay, while teaching a younger generation neighbor the agricultural side of farming in western, mass. These two farms still exist. The stone walls are maintained to now mark land boundries of old. Steve included a brief story of the how and why they were utilized. Country roads taken slow, you'll still see the stone walls. Thanks to Steve and JFM for this podcast!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for sharing and watching!

  • @betienne3295
    @betienne32953 ай бұрын

    Really enjoyed listening to the history. Thank you!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for listening

  • @abigailmcenroe5024
    @abigailmcenroe50243 ай бұрын

    Wonderful history…my parents bought an island , Mosquito Island, in Maine in 1940. We ran a wild herd of sheep for almost fourty years. The wild sheep were there on that 200 acre island 75 + years before we came. We brought on rams in December, took them off in June . We kept about 75 - 100 head. Sheared in June and took our fleeces to the Knox Woolen Mill. ( Have you ever seen their wonderful video? ) That is where my love of wool was born. Nothing like our island sheep! Such clean fleeces! In the 50s we used Romney’s, then 60s the newly imported North Country Cheviots. I have been a handspinner for over 50 years on our family’s antique wheel . Love your posts.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for sharing!

  • @kymdelmar9304
    @kymdelmar93043 ай бұрын

    Thank you for this fascinating episode, very enjoyable and enlightning.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @margueritefoley1262
    @margueritefoley12623 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for this fascinating episode!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for watching!

  • @sheilafay1676
    @sheilafay16763 ай бұрын

    Thanks for this information, it was fascinating and so informative. Love hearing how it was sheep farming that made such an impact on the landscape and towns of New England.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @catherinewithall8344
    @catherinewithall83443 ай бұрын

    What a wonderful history session 😊❤❤❤

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it

  • @orlaghmartin6267
    @orlaghmartin62673 ай бұрын

    Fabulous History talk Steve. Greetings from Ireland

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Greetings! You know all about stone walls and sheep - for sure! Thanks for watching!

  • @edialeda119
    @edialeda1193 ай бұрын

    Thank you - Steve shared so much fascinating information! I live in southern NH in a town sandwiched between two larger former mill "towns" (now cities), and I spent 7 years on our town's conservation commission. We have so many of the stone walls Steve mentioned meandering through the conservation woods, and you can usually find a home from the late 1700's/early 1800's nearby. I learned from another member of the conservation commission that much of these woods were once cleared pastures that had been left to be reclaimed by nature.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @bgbaltuth
    @bgbaltuth3 ай бұрын

    Very interesting. Thank you for this local treasure .

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Our pleasure!

  • @darlenesmith9542
    @darlenesmith95423 ай бұрын

    Riveting Indeed! Thanks for sharing 👍

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you liked it!

  • @marilynstolberg5534
    @marilynstolberg5534Ай бұрын

    Thank you for this very interesting talk

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    Ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it

  • @juliacardiff3339
    @juliacardiff33393 ай бұрын

    I love history. Thanks for sharing, that was very informative.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @carolgarner5971
    @carolgarner59713 ай бұрын

    That was great. I would love to listen to more lectures of his

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Yes- he is a treasure!

  • @teripersing
    @teripersing3 ай бұрын

    What a fabulous show; Steve’s talk was very interesting and informative. Goodness, I could have listened to him all day!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    He is a wealth of knowledge!

  • @lindseyr4966
    @lindseyr49663 ай бұрын

    🐏 I’m totally enjoying this episode !

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for listening!

  • @margie7063
    @margie70633 ай бұрын

    This was fantastic! 🐑❤️

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Yay! Glad you liked it!

  • @saramartin3665
    @saramartin36653 ай бұрын

    very interesting and informative, thank you

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @annballard3540
    @annballard35403 ай бұрын

    Fascinating!

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you liked it!

  • @deniseengel1451
    @deniseengel14513 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the very interesting and informative history of sheep in New England. The numbers stated were phenomenal and hard to comprehend such a vast number. Wow! The back breaking work our ancestors put in. Thanks Steve, Peg and Amanda.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it

  • @jilllang3679
    @jilllang36793 ай бұрын

    Many thanks to Steve for the great history lesson and to you for airing it.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for listening!

  • @jetv1471
    @jetv14713 ай бұрын

    HEY GUYS !! Rebecca Clow of Creabea knitting is wearing your Junctipn fiber mill cap on her latest podcast from NZ!and she pointed it out ! 👍👍👍🙌🙌

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Yes! Thank you! It made us smile and we thanked her for repping our small mill!

  • @manicspinner1959
    @manicspinner19593 ай бұрын

    Facinting history... hubby has Vermont ancestor who went west about the peak of all that... .

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Interesting!

  • @lbohen
    @lbohen3 ай бұрын

    I enjoyed Steve's history of the Northeast's sheep industry. I often wonder if William T. Jarvis in Weathersfield Bow, VT, is related to my Jarvis relatives in Weathersfield, VT. Someday, I'll research my ancestry.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it!

  • @susancrosby4363
    @susancrosby4363Ай бұрын

    Wonderful history lesson. I was taken aback though at the fairly cavalier statement that it was imperative to exterminate the native wolves to allow a fairly temporary period of sheep farming to prosper. How sad to lose an essential piece of the environmental balance. It’s common for Americans and Europeans too I think, to see this species as a scourge rather than an important element of keeping other species in check. Otherwise I enjoyed hearing about the history of Vermont from the perspective of sheep farming.

  • @judithtaylor6916
    @judithtaylor69163 ай бұрын

    The first Merino sheep arrived in Australia from South Africa in 1797 by John McArthur. He was later Governor of Tasmania.

  • @jetv1471

    @jetv1471

    3 ай бұрын

    I was wondering this ! Ty ! I guess NZ about same time ?

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Interesting!

  • @kathryndenne1717

    @kathryndenne1717

    3 ай бұрын

    @@jetv1471 New Zealand was probably later as most settlement occurred 1840's onwards.

  • @judyperodeau4945
    @judyperodeau49453 ай бұрын

    So interesting

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you liked it!

  • @sunnyw4148
    @sunnyw41483 ай бұрын

    When we moved to the White Mountains in 1960 there were a lot of places that had been for sale for 20-40 years. Quite a depressed economy

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Indeed. Thanks for watching!

  • @jetv1471
    @jetv14713 ай бұрын

    My dad was a dairy farmer in NY .. I was watching a movie about how nasty the cattle farmers were to the sheep farmers when they came out west . My dad said it was because the sheep grazed differently than cattle and horses… they bite the grass closer to the earth . But I never researched to see if this was true. In NZ in the 1980s they tied goats out along the fence lines because the sheep would eat the grass but the brambles grew like crazy.

  • @junctionfibermill

    @junctionfibermill

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for sharing!

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