Lessons from Simpler Times

“Lest we forget the fortitude, the fearless courage, the determination, the frugal living, the hard work with none of the facilities that are so abundant today, this history has been written as a record of the success of those who left the comforts of civilization in the East and came west to a wild country, and of those who came to America talking a strange language, having very little equipment but bare hands and willing hearts, to wrest from a wilderness or an uncultivated country a living for a large family in a land where they could enjoy freedom from oppression and pursuit….They came with sons in their teens who grasped the plow of good government, and, having done a masterful work in the township, came to the new station when the railroad arrived, and repeated their success in the town government and experiences in getting up the country school, by organizing and establishing a new village and its government.…They builded better than they knew.”

So goes the opening statement in the first 100 years of Barrington’s history by Arnett C. Lines. Most of the settlers raised crops or were dairy farmers. In this issue, stories of simpler times and down-to-earth lifestyles found their way to us. We hope they will inspire you!