Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Indiana, Pennsylvania in the Civil War

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  • Subject = Scythes--19th century--Pictorial works. Agricultural implements--United States--History--19th century--Pictorial works.

About This Collection

The Indiana Pennsylvania in the Civil War Era project includes primary sources including letters, diaries, and modern and historical photographs, now held in the collections of Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Special Collections or the Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County, that document the experience of men and women of Indiana County, PA during the Civil War era. Central to the collection are the papers of the White family including a diary kept by Pennsylvania State Senator Harry White, who fought for the North during the Civil War and was imprisoned in Libby Prison and a number of other prisons across the South; the letters of his father Thomas White, a prominent judge who was involved in the organization of the Republican Party in Pittsburgh; correspondence of Richard White, a brother who also served in the Union Army during the Civil War; and letters to members of the White family from the Pennsylvania governor and high ranking representatives of the federal government. Also included are other diaries of Civil War soldiers from the Indiana County area. Together these primary sources provide a glimpse into the experience of Civil War soldiers and their families at home and political life during the war.
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Grain Cradle Scythe
Grain Cradle Scythe
Scythes--19th century--Pictorial works. Agricultural implements--United States--History--19th century--Pictorial works.
This is likely to have been used by farmers in Western PA, including the Grahams whose letters indicate that they grew grain including rye. [Letters GC1]. Most Pennsylvania farmers could only afford a four-finger cradle. The grain cradle began to replace the grain sickle around 1789, but some Pennsylvania farmers continued to use sickles until 1840. Source: Fletcher, Whitcomb W. Pennsylvania Agriculture and Country Life 1840-1940. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1955. Print. Stephenson, Clarence D. Indiana County 175th Anniversary History. Indiana, Pennsylvania: The A.G. Halldin Publishing Co., 1995. Print.
Scythe
Scythe
Scythes--19th century--Pictorial works. Agricultural implements--United States--History--19th century--Pictorial works.
This is a photo of a scythe, probably dating before 1850. It has a 30'' blade and handmade handle. It is used to cut grain such as wheat and hay. This farming tool was replaced around the time of the Civil War by the reaper. In the Graham Collection (GC1) in a letter Agnes wrote to her brother James, she refers tpo a rye field that they owned. It is still likely that the Graham family grew hay and wheat on their farm, and may have used a scythe during harvesting. Source: The Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County, PA: Graham Collection (GC1); Fletcher, Whitcomb W. Pennsylvania Agriculture and Country Life 1840-1940. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1955. Print.