This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Coventry Roots: Greene Company Cranberries

As the air turns colder and our thoughts turn to fall and apple picking, one cannot forget the cranberry.

Everyone is familiar with Ocean Spray and the cranberry bogs of Massachusetts but I wonder how many of us know about the cranberry bog in Coventry.

American Cranberry Bog is located just three miles south of the village of near the border of West Greenwich in an area that was known as the Great Cedar Swamp. This bog was begun in the mid 1850s by a gentleman named Abiel T. Sampson, a resident of North Providence.

Sampson operated a company known as Abiel T. Sampson & Co where he employed neighborhood men and their teams to dig a long ditch beginning in the east at a place called the Beaver Dam and running west through the center of the swamp. North South cross ditches were also dug the whole length of the swamp to create the bog. Sand was then added and the cranberry vines were planted. The first crops were small but Sampson kept enlarging the bog until it became the largest in the state. 

Find out what's happening in Coventrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the 1860s and 1870s, the cranberries were harvested by hand except when the threat of frost was eminent and then rakes were allowed. Harvesting began in late August and ran through the month of September - a period called "Cranberry Time". Sampson would hire local families to harvest the berries for two cents a quart and this extra money would help the families throughout the winter. 

The average day was from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a short break for lunch. Each picker was given two bushel baskets and the average picker could pick between a bushel and a bushel and a half in a days time.

Find out what's happening in Coventrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After Sampson’s death, the cranberry bog was owned by several people who eventually lost it to foreclosure. The bog was later purchased by J.B. McCrillis and was taken over by his son, Elisha McCrillis, who turned it into a grass farm. This venture proved to be unsuccessful and a company from Boston came in, took over, and hired a man named John M. Burke to run it. He had new dams constructed, ditches dug and vines planted. 

Follwing Burke, a gentleman named Frank Gorsline, Jr. was put in charge of the cranberry bog, but after several years he left to pursue other business. Thomas Gaul was then put in charge and remained in this position for over 35 years.

In the 1930s pickers were paid 50 cents an hour.  In 1950 the wage was $1.25 an hour. The ten-hour average work day remained the same and in 1966 the site was purchased by Mr. & Mrs. Robert Leonard and named the Coventry Cranberry Company.

In the early 1860s there had been a small cranberry drying room on the property. As production increased, a larger two-story building was added in 1867 that was 100 feet by 40 feet. This building burned down and was replaced in the late 19th century with the one that is still in existence today.  Today, the Greene Company Cranberries operates in the original location.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?