Hancock County, Ohio - Chapter 21: Early Sports Corn Huskings House Raisings Grain, 1881

Threshing And Cleaning

EVERY pioneer was of necessity a hunter. Not that he followed the husiness for amusement alone, but for the reason that much of his subsistence, and his safety, and that of his property depended upon his skill and vigilance with the rifle. Hence it was, that almost every man and boy, and a great many women and girls were accomplished shots, and many a leisure hour did they while away in friendly competition with their trusty ritles, and proud was the champion of his laurels thus honorably won.

Not the least pleasant of the gatherings of these early settlers, were the corn huskings. Sometimes the corn was husked just as it had been cut and shocked in the field. At other times it was all gathered at one place, either on a fine grass plot, or on the barn floor. It was usually divided into equal parts, and the husking party was also divided under captains. The company who first completed the task was declared the victor.

If these busking bees were in the barn, the women and -children would frequently assist. These husking bees were usually held when the moon was at its full, so that there would be sufficient light.

suppers ! None of your ice cream - strawberry - jelly cake - weak tea affairs, but instead, the yellow corn cake, juicy venison, luscious turkey, and occasionally a slice or two of bear steak.

So popular was this sport - for in that light was it regarded - that not unfrequently an entire crop of corn was husked in one night, and without any expense to the owner, other than the furnishing supper for the workmen,, for which he considered himself amply repaid in the amount of fun which he would have.

Another source of pleasure, although mixed with hard work, was the house-raisings. In this, as in log rollings and corn huskings, the participants were divided into companies, each under the lead of a captain. To each was assigned the raising of one side and one end of the cabin. Each of these parties chose two of the most active and expert ax-men to carry up the corners, as the logs were raised to the proper place.

A good deal of skill, and a mechanical eye was required by these corner men, as a very slight mistake in making a notch too shallow, or too deep, or out of a straight line, might loose the whole corner. So expert became many of these men - and they were found in every settlement - that they were enabled to notch and place the logs almost as rapidly as they could be raised to cheir place on the building.

The grain was not threshed by machinery driven by steam, as now, but was either beaten out by the old fashioned swingle or flail, or tramped out by horses or oxen. When threshed it was separated from the chaff by a fanning mill made of two men and a linen sheet, the grain being slowly poured from a measure at an elevation, passed ia front of this mill, which was kept constantly in motion ; the chaff was blown away, the grain falling to the floor. A rather slow, but sure way of getting clean grain, and resorted to by the early settlers for the reason that modern fanning mills were then unknown.

The men did not have all the sport, no more than they did all the work. Quilting bees were no less a source of pleasure and enjoyment to their wives. All the good dames in a neighborhood would assemble around the patch-work quilt, and with stitch and gossip while away the time pleasantly, and around the well-laden tea table rehearse the scenes of their girl-hood days.

Strong, active, athletic sports had a gi*eat charm for these backwoodsmen. Running foot races, jumping, wrestling, pitching quoits or horse shoes, lifting weights, and like manly exercise best pleased them. Some of their feats of jumping and racing would do credit to a troup of modern athletes. And the ease with which they could "ring the meg " with a horse shoe at twenty-five or thirty yards was astonishing. With such exercises as these, their muscles became hardened, their limbs were developed, and their endurance put to the test.

Horse racing was also a favorite amusement with some. The swiftness of a race was not regarded as of much moment, the simple fact that two horses would make a race, no matter how slow it was,' would be sufficient to draw a crowd, and the pleasure in the amusement seemed to be just as keen, as if they had been witnessing some of the feats of modern high-flyers.

Because of the isolated condition of the settlements, and the almost unceasing toil of all, any social gathering was hailed with pleasure, and enjoyed to the fullest extent.