Welcome to Burrillville Then & Now, a feature on NRI NOW.
With photos provided by the Burrillville Historic & Preservation Society, we take a glance back at how the town used to look, then show how the same space looks today. Betty Mencucci, president of BH & PS has provided historical information on the site.
Today, we look at Peck’s Farm.
Pecks Farm was located on Eagle Peak Road at the intersection of Camp Dixie Road. This 100 acre dairy farm was started by Arthur Peck and his wife Adelaide. Adelaide’s maiden name was Logee, and she was a descendant of Washington Logee, who probably built the farmhouse in the early 1800s.
When Arthur Peck died in 1935 his two sons, Frank and Charles “Buster” Peck carried on the business. At one time the farm had 70 cows and 1200 hens. Every day the cows were driven down the road to a lane and into the pasture. Every night they would return to the barn the same way.
The milk was put into milk cans and was peddled to their customers in a wagon. They had a one-quart measure and a two-quart measure, and would pour out the amount their customers wanted. Many of their customers would leave a pitcher outside with a saucer on it on the front steps. This was before the days of pasteurization and bottling.
As a young boy in the 1920s, Charles Peck “Buster” worked with bulls to move heavy equipment and also worked with oxen. Oxen had to have special shoes and had to be driven to a blacksmith that had an ox sling. Unlike a horse, an ox cannot stand on three feet while being shod, and requires a special sling to hold him up.
All of the cows were sold in 1972 and the farm went out of business. The old farmhouse was torn down in 2014 and a new house was constructed. Washington Logee is buried in Cemetery #69 in the field a short distance behind the house.
