[PW] ? Size of a pork-barrel

[MC Henning]

Hi Jeff,

Sorry for that earlier "spam"  ;-) 

My mail client stripped all formatting and URL's.  It's that kind of 
day.  **sigh**

Let's try again (no time for citations, so have pasted URL's to end of 
each bullet item)...



Hi Jeff,

No definitive answer, but have attached some web resources that might help:

*  A recent article in the "History Now" of /American Heritage Magazine/ 
<http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2007/2/2007_2_9.shtml> 
indicates the pork barrel was large, but doesn't state its size.  For 
more info, see 
http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2007/2/2007_2_9.shtml.

*  A web article describing the killing of wild hogs in Currituck 
County, NC <http://www.currituck.com/history/memory/hogkilling.shtml> 
states that folks brined the pork in whiskey barrels (or coke barrels, 
if whiskey barrels weren't available).  NOTE:  other web sources mention 
using whiskey barrels to salt pork.  For more info, see 
http://www.currituck.com/history/memory/hogkilling.shtml

*  An online excerpt from The Wisconsin Lumberman 
<http://www.currituck.com/history/memory/hogkilling.shtml> (published 
1874) notes that lumbermills were quite busy manufacturing staves for 
whiskey and pork barrels, and includes the physical specs for barrel 
staves and beading.  For more info, see 
http://www.currituck.com/history/memory/hogkilling.shtml

*  There may be more info in an article by Sarah McMahon in the Spring 
1989 issue of /Agricultural History/ (sorry, EBSCOHost database didn't 
include this issue):

    For brining hams and the use of the pork barrel, see Sarah F.
    McMahon, "'All Things in Their Proper Season': Seasonal Rhythms of
    Diet in Nineteenth-Century New England," /Agricultural History/ 63:2
    (Spring 1989).


Hope this helps!
Mary Henning



Cramer, Jeff wrote:
> Would anyone happen to know if a nineteenth century pork barrel was of a standard size and, if so, what it was. 
>
>  
>
> Jeffrey S. Cramer, Curator of Collections 
> The Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods 
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