Snow in Colonial America

"Never such a Snow, in the Memory of Man!"~ Rev. Cotton Mather, March 7, 1717

Spencer-Peirce-Little House, c. 1690, Newbury, Massachusetts
Photo courtesy: Karen Lynch

In 1717, my ancestor’s home in Newbury, Massachusetts was covered in snow up to the second floor. Last year, our Elaine Cooper wrote about this drastic winter in her post: The Great (and Terrible) Snowstorms of 1717.  This winter is also going down as a record-breaker in New England with seven feet of snow falling in Boston in a matter of weeks. In my own state of Maine we have had at least six. The roads have been so full of snow that the plows are challenged to find a place to put it all. After each storm, our road becomes more and more narrow with snow banks rising higher and higher. But in the early days of our country, snow falls created a different type of challenge than we experience today.

"Great Snow in 1717" wood cut.

The East Coast settlements endured such harsh winters that much of the initial populations were tragically reduced in their struggle to survive. The food supplies were limited, shelter insufficient, and illness ran rampant. In fact, in 1608, a new colony in Popham, Maine nearly succumbed to the "vehement" winter and those few that survived returned to England.

Painting of Colonial Jamestown by Sidney King,
National Park Service, Colonial National Historical Park.

According to weather historian David Ludlum, author of Early American Winters, 1604-1820 snows continued into April and even into May during colonial days. Extended winters and great cold meant reduced deer populations and starving cattle, later growing seasons, limited resources of firewood, reduced food stores and hardship in obtaining supplies, restricted transportation and communication, etc.. 
 
In Snow in the Cities: A History of America's Urban Response by Blake McKelvey a chapter devoted to "Snow in Pedestrian Towns from 1620-1800" provides some interesting detail about how towns managed their snow issues in early times. Although there were no automobiles, snow drifts needed to be leveled for sleighs to break through and pathways needed to be shoveled. In some cities, sleighs were required to have bells to warn pedestrians of their approach. By the early 1800s cities instituted ordinances for residents to assist with snow removal to keep up with increasing numbers of travelers and their conveyances. Ships were caught in the harbor and shipments were halted during winter months, in fact, Boston Harbor froze for 30 days in 1740. But while ferries and boats were frozen ashore, wagons could be drawn across ice laden rivers, which must have proved advantageous. Some folks traveled by snow shoes which would have been obtained through trade with the Indians. 

Driving the Carter Coach in a snow storm at Colonial Williamsburg.
Photo by David M. Doody

When firewood could not be brought into the cities due to frozen ports, people from nearby hamlets would take advantage of supplying the firewood to take advantage of the higher prices. During one frigid spell in 1760 more than 1,000 sleds brought firewood into Boston in one day alone. Other problems resulted from heavy snowfalls. In an agricultural society, the flooding that melting snow produces can be detrimental to farming. A good resource for weather conditions during 18th century America is Colonial America To 1763 by Thomas L. Purvis.

Colonial Americans may also have enjoyed some type of winter recreation, but primarily they would have been about their daily duties, especially though performed by the hearth. Ice skating was an activity brought from England that they participated in. Skiing was not brought to America until the 19th century from Scandinavian immigrants, so skiing would not have been a pastime. Children also have enjoyed sledding and building snow forts and leisurely  sleigh rides may have been enjoyed by all. But most certainly great care would have been given as snow in those times could be a perilous thing.

What type of winter activities do you enjoy?

The Great (and Terrible) Snowstorms of 1717

After such a cruel winter in much of the country this year, it seemed like a logical time to search the Colonial American era to see if they had any memorable winters on record. Indeed, I quickly discovered a terrible blizzard dubbed, “The Great Snow of 1717.”

Although there were not official weather records kept at the time, there were sufficient diaries of the day describing a winter that began in December of 1716 with five feet of snow, then climaxed in the Great Snow from February 27 through March, 7, 1717. The areas blanketed by the frigid white flakes were the colony of New York and the New England colonies.  It was certainly possible the snow was more widespread but white populations had not spread much further west at that point.

In “Historic Storms of New England” written in 1891, author Sidney Perley noted that even the oldest Native Americans of that day said that their ancestors had never seen such a storm.

Beginning on February 27, the Great Snow was actually four snowstorms that began with a typical, New England nor-easter, dropping a mixture of rain, sleet and snow. But by March 1, the major snowstorm hit. Then another storm on March 4. Then the worst of the three hit on March 7.

The cold colonists huddled in their homes, no doubt praying for relief. Many single story homes were completely buried by the additional five-feet of snow, plus drifts of up to 20 feet.

In Hampton, Massachusetts, some residents could only escape the confines of their homes through a window on the second floor. The chimneys in some dwellings were even covered with snow.

One widow in Medford, Massachusetts was trapped in her single story home. Her residence could not be found for many days until, finally, an eager rescuer observed a small plume of smoke. Neighbors brought their shovels to dig a pathway to the widow’s window. They discovered her supply of firewood had been depleted so she’d resorted to burning furniture to keep her children warm.

Postal delivery was temporarily halted but resumed after several days with post boys travelling on snowshoes. One New England carrier found the snow in the woods to be five feet deep while in some places, six to fourteen feet.

Not only were the humans impacted by these storms, animals both domestic and wild suffered tremendous losses. Even weeks after the storm, cattle were found dead, some still standing in their frozen state.

The greatest loss in wildlife appeared to be the deer that became victims of the hungry bears and wolves. Estimates cited that nineteen out of every twenty deer were killed that winter. It was such a huge loss that towns elected officials known as deer reeves to protect the survivors and allow for the forest population to increase.

Deer reeves had the authority within their jurisdiction to inspect private homes for the presence of fresh venison or deer hides. Fines were levied for those who broke the law.

The Great Snow damaged many orchards. Crusty ice broke branches, while surviving cows, wandering along the frozen crust of snow that stood many feet tall, munched on the tops of tender fruit trees. The bovines suddenly had access to choice morsels on the upper branches, thus injuring the future crop.

The storm, however, did not stop romance. Young Abraham Adams of Newbury, Massachusetts was homebound for a week when he could take no more: He missed the object of his affection, Miss Abigail Pierce, who lived some three miles away. Undaunted by the prolific snow outside his door, Mr. Adams donned his snowshoes and walked outside through an upstairs window onto the snow.  He found his way to the home of his love, entering through an upstairs window in Abigail’s house. He was the first visitor the family had received since the storm.

The Great Snow may have delayed the mail delivery that week—but it could not halt the delivery of love. J