Ashton Hay Fields

Gather Hay in the Hay Fields

Quick Facts

Amenities

3 listed

Picnic Table, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Wheelchair Accessible

The growth of hay has been an essential crop for thousands of years. Prior to the introduction of water and steam power, it was horses and oxen that provided the power to run the machinery and plow the fields. This is where the term "horsepower" comes from. The hay that grew in these fields provided the energy for the livestock to do their work.  When the Blackstone Canal was opened in 1827, horses pulled the barges up and down the canal. After the canal closed, horses were still used for transporting goods from the trains, to and from the mills. The hay was also used at the Kelly barn to support the milking process.