Blog
Take a step into Franklin Counties’ history with our blogs.
Harvest Folklore—Mysteries from the East
In Eastern Europe, cutting the last sheaf (Russian dozhinochnym, Ukrainian didukh) was often accompanied by an elder’s petitional prayer so widows and orphans, rich and
Plenty is Revealed, Beautiful Upon the Earth
We’ve had great fun here at the Franklin County Museum in Pasco watching students tend the heritage grain plots behind the main building. Among the
Scythes, Sickles, and Mr. Tusser
Early cradle scythes appeared in the thirteenth century and are depicted in paintings by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c. 1525-1569). These featured a small half-circle
Gleaners and Mowers, Gavellers and Carters
Although few references to gleaning are found in early medieval farm records or literature, the practice was known to parishioners through sermons and readings from
Piers Plowman and Old World Harvests
William Langland’s medieval allegorical epic Piers Plowman (c. 1370) offers commentary in unrhymed alliterative verse on spiritual aspects of temporal labor. The dreamy landscapes that
The Treasures of Jean, Duke of Berry (Part II)
The colorful pictorial instruction of the Labors of the Months seen in the stained glass windows of cathedrals and manorial homes and in Les Très
Magnificent Illustration—The Treasures of Jean, Duke of Berry (Part I)
Hildegard of Bingen’s notable monastic contemporary, French abbot St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), led reforms of the Cistercian so monks could more fully live out
An Agrarian Guide to Health and Happiness
The Tacuinum Sanitatus (Almanac of Health) is one of the most richly illustrated fourteenth century Herbals though it is based on an earlier compendium written
Saint Hildegard and “Labors of the Months”
English Fleta and other European manuals on model agricultural practices for landlords and manorial managers appeared widely in the late thirteenth century, followed by others
A Medieval Bread Buffet — Today in the Tri-Cities!
Thanks to our heritage crop plots tended by a dedicated group of local school students, we were able to supply some heritage bread wheat flour
The “Cerealization” of Europe
The story of farming is one of usual significance here in Franklin County which supplies annually supply over one billion dollars’ worth of crops—chiefly grain
Labor-saving Draft Animals and the Salzburg Scythe
Considerable debate arises today regarding the pros and cons of technological developments in the wake of climate change, employment rates, and related issues. One thing