Folkway #18: Time

So, how did Central Florida's pioneers think about time?


Well, they certainly didn't have an app for that, much less an iPhone.  In fact, it was a fortunate family indeed if they owned an actual clock.  Simple hour glasses full of sand were more commonly found on the southern frontier, but even they were considered a luxury.


Most pioneers simply relied on their intuition, decided when it felt like the right time to do this or that.


None of them were clock watchers, especially when it came to work.  There were no 8-hour days, smoke breaks, or lunch hours.


People generally rose from their sleeping places (not necessarily beds) before sunrise, and not because an alarm clock was sounding.  They just did.


Of course, they also went to bed early.  There were no live-streaming movies on Netflix, televisions, or late night programing to keep them awake.


Calendars were more frequently consulted than clocks, especially the ones printed in farmers' almanacs.  The pioneers also paid attention to the cycles of the moon.  Such things were important, as they dictated the best planting and harvesting times.


In reminiscing about times gone-by, the area's first settlers were apt to measure time based on commonly-experienced events.  Natural disasters and wars were particularly good mental landmarks.  For example one might say, "Sally was born in the year of the three hurricanes."  Or, "Johnny came here six years after the War Between the States ended."


Speaking of time and pioneer days, remember the annual Pine Castle Pioneer Days festival kicks off this morning at 9am with a parade down Holden Avenue to Cypress Grove Park.  Gates open at 10am, and opening ceremonies kick-off at 10:30.  For more information, visit www.pinecastlepioneerdays.org or call 407-427-9692.