Picture
Wood-framed print of six oxen pulling a snow roller with two men guiding. Originally attributed to Chamberlain’s Corner, Chelmsford is more likely pictured. Snow rollers compacted the snow for horses, instead of today’s plowing for cars. The practice was most common between the late nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries in the United States. Westford’s first snow roller was purchased by the town in 1906, and built in the wheelwright shop of James Albert Walkden (1850-1924) of Chamberlain’s Corner (intersection of Chamberlain Rd and Main St). Snow rollers, which varied in size, were built with an iron core and surrounding wood panels to form the drum. Next to the rollers owned by the town, the museum’s snow roller (link here) was owned by David Scott (1897-1971), who was born in Carnoustie, Scotland. This privately owned snow roller was used into the 1920s in the Forge Village area of town.
W.2005.90