Hygiene was crucial to the health of people on the farms. Waste from farm animals, creatures falling into the wells, and myriad other causes of unsafe drinking water were a plague upon their lives. The issue of sanitation and safe drinking water continues to be a serious concern throughout the poor regions of the world.

In the United States, enormous efforts have been made at every level of government to insure safe water supplies.

This picture from southern Illinois in the early 20th century, showing a young lady drinking from what appears to be a newly constructed well, seems a somewhat odd subject until one reflects on the centrality of clean water to the lives of country people.

Sustainable agriculture and environmental awareness are some planks in the platform of the Green Party.
Woman drinking from well. Donated by Virginia Marmaduke, Collected by Jane Adams, 1991, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
PAGE |<< | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
D. Gorton's Home Page
Jane Adams' Home Page
Memory and Judgment: Mississippi
The White South
Contact Us
This page was last modified on:
Go back to previous page