Fashion on the Farm

The Griffith Family circa 1900

The Griffiths lived in Mecklenburg County in the area near Boyce Park. Families living in rural Mecklenburg County dressed more simply and less expensively than their city counterparts. Most of their clothes would have been sewn at home. Forty percent of all Americans lived on a farm in 1900. The percentage was higher in North Carolina. Children in rural areas usually had chores on the farm, so their clothing was more practical. However, life was not all work and no play. Children enjoyed outdoor games, explored the woods and swimmed in creeks on the family farms. Other activities included flying homemade kites, playing in haylofts, and fishing. Baseball was another great summer pastime. In the winter, children could go ice skating on frozen ponds or ride horse-driven snow sleighs. Indoor activites could include travel board games, making homemade candy and reading books that stoked the fires of most children’s imaginations when the weather turns cold.

Left to Right: Charlie B. Griffith, Lila Griffith, Charles Abner Griffith, Nellie Gray Griffith, Nancy Deborah Boyce Griffith, Fred Griffith and Mabel Griffith.

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