Existing comment:
Mules at Hampton:
In the South, eighteenth and nineteenth century farmers regarded mules as superior draft animals. They possessed great strength, were hardier, required less feed, lived longer, were more disease resistant than horses and oxen, and better withstood rough treatment from their human handlers.
At Hampton, mules pulled plows through fields, ice rakes over ponds, and wagons on roads.
There's a Ridgely family story that concerns the replacement of mules with tractors around 1920. The story goes that "Captain Jack" Ridgely, reluctantly consented to purchase tractors after many pleadings by his sons. The new tractors were taken into the field and promptly got stuck in the mud.
A short time later, mules were brought out. They moved the plows through the fields with ease. It seems that Captain Jack, who never drove an automobile, was vindicated in his belief that modern technology is not always best!
Mule Barn:
circa 1850
This masonry barn housed the working animals and stored their feed and harnesses. Mules were used to haul wagons, pull farm equipment, and support the plantation's manual labor. |