Fences

When Robert Frost said, "Good fences make good neighbors," he had an understanding of human nature. But fences have not always been seen as necessary, and they've certainly changed through the ages.

Ancient Roman walls

The first fences were so high they were called walls and usually protected ancient cities against invaders. We find such walls mentioned often in the Bible. A similar type of wall was used to fortify castles in the Medieval Period. 

In the rocky terrain of the British Isles, fences were often constructed of stones. The American colonists had plenty of trees available, and they made some variety of rail fencing, if they made any at all. For years many let all their animals range, especially in certain areas, although a few might try to enclose their garden area in some way.

With the invention of galvanization (see my post of 11-22-2024),

barbed wire became the norm for enclosing fields. Other forms followed, like chain link, chicken wire, electric, vinyl to imitate painted wooden ones, etc. Today there's a wide variety to choose from. 

Do fences make good neighbors? I guess it depends on your prospective. If you're somewhat of a recluse, you might agree with Arthur Baer who took Frost's comment a step further: "A good neighbour is a fellow who smiles at you over the back fence, but doesn't climb it."

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