Back to the Past
Harvesting peanuts with horse-drawn implements
Article and photography by Rocky Womack
For many people today, farming with horse-drawn equipment is a quaint practice from the past. For Robert S. “Bob” Harrell, it’s a way of life that should be preserved for future generations.
“The need to remember our history is always there, whether it’s in farming, textiles or whatever,” Bob says. “I don’t think anybody can adequately understand and appreciate the present without some understanding of the past. We just really need to have some level of understanding of how it used to be if for no other reason (than to appreciate) how hard people used to work.”
Born in 1925 in Edenton, N.C., Bob spent his youth on the farm, lending a hand to the peanut operation run by his grandfather (Joseph M. Harrell) and his father (Rodney T. Harrell). Horses and mules provided much of the power on the 40-acre farm. It is a world that exists today only in memories, but they are clear and vivid in Bob’s mind.