Mr. Patstone's Chickens Disturb the Neighborhood, 1941

Not all matters that historically have come before the Middleborough Board of Selectmen have proven weighty. In October, 1941, the Middleborough Selectmen, acting as the Board of Health, were called upon to address a nuisance complaint regarding roosters being kept on School Street, an issue which the correspondent from the Brockton Enterprise clearly found entertaining. The poor neighbors were slightly less amused.

Although none of the echoes reached the selectmen's meeting last night, the fact that roosters' crowed was a matter for consideration at the board's session. William Patstone, 28½ School Street, appeared before the board and opened the matter, and had proceeded well along in his discussion before the board informed him that the matter was not officially before them.

He told about a complaint which had been lodged against his roosters, evidently a flock rated by the neighbors with having great vocal powers. Mr. Patstone declared "there are others," meaning other roosters, with good heavy voices. He said the board of health had warned him that complaints and a petition with several signatures had been filed against his roosters. The selectmen, under the charter, are the board of health, but they had not heard about the roosters, so that matter evidently had gotten as far as their agent.

"Have you disposed of them?" queried a selectman. "No," Patstone replied, "but I moved them, and soon they will be no more, as with the holidays coming, I plan to eat them." He declared that others in the neighborhood had roosters living nearer to the folks who signed the complaint than do his crowers and that they had kept them longer than he had.

Selectman W. J. MacDougall, a past member of the grange, and a man who could qualify in judging the fine points of these barnyard alarm clocks, suggested that it might be a good thing to delegate Town Manager E. C. Peterson to make an early morning trip and listen to the roosters to determine the extent of the nuisance. But on second thought it was decided to let the selectmen do the investigating. No action was taken against the activities of the roosters, pending the investigation. Then again their death sentence by the axe may come first.

What is perhaps most surprising is the number of School Street residents still presumably keeping chickens at the time.

Illustration:
Rooster, photograph by travis warren123, November 29, 2009, reprinted under a Creative Commons license.

Source:
Brockton Enterprise, "A Bit of Axe-Swinging May Solve Problem of Middleboro Selectmen", October 21, 1941.

Plymouth Rock Chickens

Once the most popular chicken in America, the Plymouth Rock is now considered an heirloom breed. The Plymouth Rock was first developed following the Civil War by D. A. Upham of Worcester, Massachusetts, and other farmers who sought to develop a cold-hardy dual-purpose fowl that had a large, deep-set body, which permitted them to produce a substantial number of eggs annually (up to 200), as well as providing a meaty bird. The original Plymouth Rocks had a unique white and black striped or barred pattern and consequently came to be known as Plymouth Barred Rocks.
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Locally, Plymouth Rocks were highly favored. In 1882, Solomon H. Sylvester of Middleborough praised the relatively new breed, and such enthusiasm upon the part of Middleborough and Lakeville farmers encouraged the bird's popularity.
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Mr. S. H. Sylvester, a fowl fancier, of Middleboro, of much experience, says that for the most good qualities and the fewest poor ones, the "Plymouth Rock" fowl excel all others, as they are good layers and setters, easy keepers, hardy, plump and nice for the table. The Poultry World backs up this statement, so now our readers will know what kind of hens to keep.

Later, other varieties of Plymouth Rocks were developed, including the brilliantly white White Plymouth Rock and the Buff Plymouth Rock (developed from cross-breeding Plymouth Rocks with Orpingtons and Rhode Island Reds). So popular did the Plymouth Rock breed become, that it warranted its own magazine, Plymouth Rock Monthly which was devoted entirely to the bird. Ironically, though the Plymouth Rock was once the most commonly kept chicken in America, its popularity plummeted in the 20th century, so much so that it was believed by some to have been on the verge of extinction. Today, however, the Plymouth Rock Fanciers Club of America and other organizations help foster this heirloom breed.

Fortunately Plymouth Rocks, including the original Plymouth Barred Rock, are still kept locally and their light pink-brown eggs sold. The following video courtesy of the Dahlia Farm on Plymouth Street in Middleborough depicts a brood of Plymouth Rocks intrepidly encountering its first snow.



Illustrations:
Plymouth Rock Monthly, February, 1925, cover.

A. C. Smith, The Plymouth Rock Standard and Breed Book (The American Poultry Association, 1915 rev. ed.), cover.

"Chickens First Snow", courtesy The Dahlia Farm.com

Sources:

Old Colony Memorial, "County and Elsewhere", February 8, 1882, p. 5.