Maple Valley Farm Photo Album

In 1940, Marion Post Walcott came to the Woodstock area as part of the Farm Security Administration’s project to document rural life. One of the stops on her visit to the area was to the Shurtleff farm on the North Bridgewater Road. At the time, sugaring was in progress. The photos that Marion took while visiting the farm were later archived in the Library of Congress. They document a time of how maple syrup was made before inventions such as pipeline and reverse osmosis machines.
In addition to the sugaring photographs taken by Marion Post Walcott, we’ve included a number of other photos taken from family albums that show the changes in farm life over the past century.

Collecting sap on Maple Valley Farm.

Bringing the sap to the sugar house at Maple Valley Farm.

Irving Shurtleff driving the team of horses.

A young Irving Shurtleff with his collie dog collecting sap.

Steam coming from the sugar house.

Natalie Shurtleff at the sugar house.

Irving Shurtleff gathering sap

Frank Shurtleff putting a cover on a sap bucket.

Bringing the sap to the sugar house along Maple Valley Road.

Irving with ox team in training

Irving with ox team several years later

Irving and sister, Natalie, in ox cart

Natalie as a young child

Making snow people in front of the farmhouse

Family with ox cart

Natalie with pet lambs
