Agriculture Commons^™

Burnt Harvest: Penobscot People And Fire, James Eric Francis Sr.

Maine History

The scientific and ethnographic record confirms the fact that in southern New England, Indians used fire as a forest management tool, to facilitate travel and hunting, encourage useful grasses and berries, and to clear land for agriculture. Scholars have long suggested that agricultural practices, and hence these uses of fire, ended at the Saco or Kennebec, with Native people east of this divide less likely to systematically burn their forests. This article argues that Native people on the Penobscot River used fire, albeit in more limited ways, to transform the forest and create a natural environment more conducive to their …

From Agriculture To Industry: Silk Production And Manufacture In Maine 1800-1930, Jacqueline Field

Maine History

Sericulture or silk production is an agricultural activity that involves mulberry cultivation, raising silkworms, and reeling (unwinding) filament (raw silk) from cocoons. Silk manufacture involves a mechanical means of throwing (spinning) raw silk into usable threads and making textiles. This article examines Maine’s role in the American silk industry from early sericulture, mulberry growing, and small-scale hand production to twentieth-century industrialized manufacturing and the production of hitherto unimaginable quantities of silk fabrics. Most specifically, the objective is to show that although Maine’s participation in this effort may not have been as dominant or as well-documented as that of other New …

Manning, Allen, 1864-1950 (Sc 1762), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1762. Journal of farm work done by Allen Manning and his co-workers for Mrs. Underwood of Warren County, Kentucky. He makes note of the weather and its effect on the crops.

Ford, Marion Conner, 1888-1940 (Sc 1720), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1720. Correspondence related to Marion Conner Ford's position as director of the Ogden Department of Science at Western Kenktucky State Teachers College and his involvement with the College's farms.

Winstead, Joe Everett, 1938-2019 - Collector (Sc 1690), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1690. Correspondence between Western Kentucky University students and members of Kentucky's congressional delegation related to air pollution and its potential effects on the state's agricultural economy.

Independent Strawberry Growers' Association - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Sc 1640), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1640. Minutes, membership lists, financial reports and sundry forms from the Independent Strawberry Growers Association, Bowling Green, Kentucky. Includes picking card with agreement to pick for season on back. Two related photographs from the Kentucky Library & Museum Collection are included as additional files.

Landscape Of The Past: The 1815 Log House At Western Kentucky University, Elizabeth Alewine

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The 1815 Log House is located on the campus of Western Kentucky University. Built in the early 1800's by Archibald Felts, the house was occupied by his descendants until 1968. The dogtrot floor plan, V-notched logs, and stone chimneys are some of the historical architectural features that can be viewed. It was donated to the Kentucky Library & Museum at WKU in 1980, and now serves as an on-site exhibit of early frontier life in Kentucky. The new landscape design for the log house includes a kitchen garden with period-appropriate plants and outdoor demonstration areas. The inventories and journals of …

Sugar Industry In The South, John Alfred Heitmann

History Faculty Publications

Cane sugar is a key commodity in international trade and an important component of the modern diet. At one time or another, sugar cane was grown commercially in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. During the 19th century, south Louisiana was the focal point of this dynamic industry; beginning in the mid-20th century, however, the center of innovative activities shifted to Florida.

Ua37/2 Faculty Personal Papers Small Collections, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Small donations from individual faculty and staff members. These are generally one or two items housed in a single folder. Papers range from gradebooks and syllabi to funeral cards and obituaries. The existing records are arranged in alphabetical order by donor surname. Future donations will be arranged in the order in which they are received.

Ua1c6 Events Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of events not otherwise categorized.

1. Demonstrations & Protests
2. Commencement
3. Homecoming
4. Banquets / Dinners
5. Conferences / Workshops
6. Dedications
7. Entertainment
8. Exhibits

Includes images of College High and Training School events.