By Emily Rinaman, Technical Services Librarian
Imagine a fence. Seems easy enough. But what does your imaginary fence look like? Is it wood, wrought iron or another material? Solid or see-through? What color is it? How tall is it? Is it a rickety, old, decaying one that could use some TLC or is it pretty well maintained? What is the purpose of your fence? Is it containing something or keeping something out? Or is it just for looks? This is starting to sound like a game of 20 questions.
Fences have remained a necessary object in cultures throughout the world for millennia. One can pass thru any neighborhood and see several residences with picket fences, chain link fences, or wood fences to provide privacy and a safe environment for small children and pets. If you look close enough, you may even see remnants (or perhaps replicas?) of original fences like the iron fence around the Seneca County Museum, for example. (This fence was originally part of the fencing around the old courthouse).
There are several references to these majestic structures in several documents on the Seneca County Digital Library website. But before we reveal where they stood, we need to get an appreciation of the value of antique iron.
Some might interchangeably use cast iron and wrought iron (like I did before doing research for this article), but there's actually a key difference between the two--wrought iron contains less carbon and is much closer to being pure iron. Carbon-deficient iron is more malleable, thus being a prime material for shaping into elaborate designs.
The Monroe Street School Centennial program published in 1956 explains the history of the cast iron fence that once stood. The entire publication can be viewed on the Seneca County Digital Library. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27/id/35500
Cast iron fences, the literal "carbon copies," were cheaper because it could be poured into molds and mass produced. Wrought iron fences were hand-made by specialized artisans and therefore more expensive. So, you can see where I'm going with this. Wrought iron fences were a symbol of wealth.
A third type--composite fencing--consists of wire inside the wrought and cast iron. "Composite fences were regularly used to set off featured spaces such as private yards, cemeteries and churchyards," states an article from Period Homes Magazine. One featured "space" still existing in Tiffin is a sycamore tree on Frost Parkway. Contrary to popular folklore, there is no bullet in the trunk of this tree. Its fence is a symbolic protector of this tree, which was only a sapling when it marked the southern wall of Fort Ball in the early 1800s.
Howard Smith describes in the " What, How And Who Of It: an Ohio Community in 1856-1880 " how the old courthouse's iron fence as served as a makeshift 'bulletin board' in the 1880s.
Once in a while you will see an iron fence on mansard roofs. But these days it's rare to see authentic iron fences--most were removed during World War I to be melted into ammunition.
Another common material for fences is wood. White was a popular color among the Colonials simply because during this era, the Greek Revival architectural style reigned and white is the main color of most ancient Greek buildings. During the Colonial Revival architectural style in the early 1900s the white picket fence "became an icon" as part of the vision of the ideal American Dream.
The white picket fence may be somewhat decorative, but picket fences were an economical means to surround buildings. The original Seneca County Jailhouse in downtown Tiffin and the adjacent courthouse were both situated within wood fences. In the early 1800s, the courthouse's oak wood fence was 7 feet high and had a door on the East side. Also within its perimeter was a privy. The Jailhouse fence was petitioned by the Seneca County Commissioners:
"Eden Lease is hereby authorized to contract for materials and putting up of common board fence on the North and South ends, the East side, the South half of the West side and across near the center of East and West north of Jail of the Jail Lot in the town of Tiffin and Superintend the Same. Said fence to be five feet high, and the posts to be sunk in the ground two and one half feet." (Journal of the Seneca County Commissioners, Book 3)
There were many official fence makers in the county. A quick peek in various city directories one will come across any one of the following: fence builder, hedge fence builder, wire fence builder, dealer of fence pickets, fence post supplier and patent fence dealer. Additionally, "fence viewers" were individuals who were partially responsible for creating village layouts, including both New Riegel and Republic. It may sound like an obscure position but as recently as the early 1990s, fence viewers were still listed on the payrolls of villages in several states.
Six young gentlemen from the Junior Home goof around on a wood fence in the early 1920s. This photo can be viewed on the Seneca County Digital Library at https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27/id/40887/rec/1
Fences often simply served as boundaries between properties and fence posts could be called some of the earliest "street signs." One such instance is noted in the Journal of the Seneca County Commissioners in an entry dated Dec. 3, 1827. In this meeting the commissioners were mapping the course of a proposed road that would follow "through said land a Northwest course to the northwest corner of John Kegys fence on the north part of the Northwest quarter of Section 17."
Planting a hedge fence was an eye-appealing option to separate two properties, a common practice still seen today. Common plants include rose bushes and arborvitae. Hedges are also economical because no fence posts were needed and the only maintenance they require is a little trimming. They also provide an environment for wildlife and protect the yard from soil erosion.
WORKS CITED:
“All About Picket Fences”. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/fences/21018995/all-about-picket-fences
Elizabeth Kryder-Reid. “HISTORY OF EARLY AMERICAN LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Hedge”. Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art. https://heald.nga.gov/mediawiki/index.php/Hedge
Journal of the First Seneca County Commissioners 1824-1834 https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27/id/57298/rec/9
Journal of the Seneca County Commissioners Book 2 1834-1846. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27/id/56490
Journal of the Seneca County Commissioners Book 3 1846 to 1862.
https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27/id/61228/rec/2
Period Homes Magazine, “Options for Traditional Metal Fencing”, Aug. 14, 2018.
https://www.period-homes.com/product-reports/metal-fencing-options
Pamphlet-Sidewalks Streets and Alleys. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27/id/51851/rec/2
Pamphlet-Sidewalks Streets and Alleys-Historic Fort Ball. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27/id/51855/
Seneca County Digital Library. https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27/search
The What, How And Who Of It: an Ohio Community in 1856-1880 by Howard Smith. https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27/id/16074/rec/1
“What are Fence Viewers?” May 9, 2019. https://buzzfence.com/what-are-fence-viewers/