Shearing the Merino Sheep of Firestone Farm

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In springtime at Greenfield Village, presenters carefully shear sheep by hand, using blade shears. They demonstrate the same tools and techniques used by shearers on Benjamin Firestone’s farm in 1880s Columbiana County, Ohio.

Detailed Description

Demonstrating Blade-Shearing of Merino Sheep in Greenfield Village, April 2010

Digital image

Heavy coats of fine wool made Merino sheep a popular breed among nineteenth-century wool producers. Every spring, shearers carefully navigated blade shears to remove each sheep's thick fleece -- a process that could take several hours. More than a century later, presenters demonstrate this labor-intensive blade-shearing process at Firestone Farm in Greenfield Village.