Miss Agnes Call competes in a canning contest in Chicago

From the December 13, 1922 Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican newspaper:

Agnes (Call) Purington (5th generation on Woodslawn Farm - see the History page) was nineteen years old in 1922.  It must have been an exciting adventure for her because in the early 1990's's she would occasionally mention this trip while reminiscing about her youth.

According to her son Herbert Purington, the friend mentioned in the brief news article was Mildred E. (Kingsbury) Totman.

Agnes (left, peeling an apple) and Mildred working on their canning skills.

Location and exact date of the photo is not known.

Photo scanned from an album that belonged to Agnes.

They qualified for the Chicago contest by first winning local and regional contests, and then by being one of the top two teams at the sectional competition in September at the Eastern States Exposition (now known as the Big E) in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was estimated* that 55,000 "rural girls" competed nationally for the opportunity to win the prize in Chicago.

The winning prize in Chicago, "a trip to France", was not a carefree tourist's vacation.

Two teams winning the national contests would tour France under sponsorship of the American Committee for Devastated Europe, one of a series of philanthropic efforts to help Europe recover from the ruin of the war. During June and July, winning teams from Iowa and Colorado and their state leaders toured France giving demonstrations and learning about French cuisine. http://4-hhistorypreservation.com/History/Service_Committee/

And the winners were . . .  First Place:  Beulah Rodgers and Katherine Dolidaugh of Eddyville, Iowa, and Second Place:  Bertha Roger and Elaine Hendricks, Kit Carson County, Colorado.
"Although ranging in age from 14 to 17 years, the girls displayed a range of knowledge worthy of the most famous chefs."

 The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer, Volume 69, Dec. 16, 1922, page 454
http://books.google.com/books?id=TsnmAAAAMAAJ&q=454#v=snippet&q=454&f=false

* Detailed information about the competition and prize trip may be read on page 52 of the August 1922 issue of FARM MECHANICS. The article is titled "Champion Girl Canning Teams Go To Europe".
http://books.google.com/books?id=FT3mAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA3-PA52&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false

Town of Colrain Website

The Town of Colrain, Massachusetts launched a new website on November 6, 2012. A photo of Woodslawn Farm is featured at the top of many of the pages.

This is the view from Wilson Hill Road looking southeast toward the pasture and fields. The foreground shows the gladiolas blooming in the garden.

West Haymow

West Haymow (click photo to display full screen)

Ray Purington took this photo in early September, 2012. He was standing in the haymow over the holding pen and looking to the west over the sawdust pen into the west haymow. This is a great shot that captures the geometry of the post and beam construction.

Herbert said this part of the barn was built in the early to mid 1920's when he was a baby/toddler. There used to be one of his small handprints cast in the concrete in the manger of the heifer stalls near this part of the barn. It may still be visible if you know where to look.

The barn was built by his grandfather, Orren Davenport Purington, and Orren's construction crew. Herbert recalls being told that the hemlock posts and beams were cut in the "North Pasture" (between Cal Coombs Road and Thompson Road) by a man named Willie Smith.

Detail of steel rail and pulley in the peak of the barn

The steel rail and pulley system in the peak of the barn was used to lift loose dry hay from a wagon parked below and then rolled to either side to drop the hay down to the mow. An online reproduction catalog showing hay unloading tools of that time period may be viewed here: 1918 Louden Hay Unloading Tools and Litter and Feed Carriers Catalogue. Someone should climb to the peak and inspect the old pulley and see if it is stamped with the Louden name. Bob Purington says the old hay hooks that were used with this pulley are still on the farm.

The peak is about 30 feet above the floor. There was a heavy rope tied to the steel track that hung nearly to the floor with a large knot on the bottom that many of us enjoyed using as a swing. When Herbert was looking at this photo he recalled that on his 50th birthday he climbed the rope hand-over-hand  to the top, not once but twice!  Dave Purington remembered seeing Herbert climb the rope and grab the steel rail and hang for a few moments before sliding back down the rope.