OLD CYPRESS SPLIT PICKET FENCES (Merrain’s & Pieu’s)
- spencerchauvin
- Dec 13, 2024
- 7 min read
Have you ever seen an old “split picket” fence in Louisiana? Chances are you have, and if so, you’ve probably seen relics of the past without even knowing it. These split pickets, some refer to in Louisiana as “Pieu’s” (pronounced ‘pē-yuh’), were riven from straight grained logs, meaning a froe was used to slice the planks along the grain. A froe is an L-shaped tool used to split wood along the grain with a wooden handle comprising as the vertical part of the “L” and a sharp blade comprising the other. If you’ve ever seen a log splitter in action, you get the concept, except instead of having a small blade, the froe may have had a blade about a foot wide and they’re push on the handle on one side while beating the back of the blade with a mallet on the other, prying and splitting (riving) as they slice through the plank. The word “Pieu” in French refers to a pointed stake, driven in the ground [1].
Wooden Shakes (a type of roof shingle) were also made similarly to these Pieu’s. One would cut a log the same length you wanted the shake to be and work your way around the log butt with the froe. Cypress was the wood of choice for this because you could get sections of the log closer to the top that had extremely straight and tight grain and the wood could be split along the grain. The more straight the grain, the more uniform the plank. If the grain was wavy, like at the bottom of the log, the plank too would then be wavy and follow the grain. These virgin cypress trees grew very straight because the tree had to grow in a “canopy” environment, and had to grow quickly and straight up to compete for sunlight.
Old growth Cypress, also referred to as Tide-Water Red Cypress has an oil that some refer to as Cypressene. It’s a type of terpene. Terpene’s are what gives a plant its unique properties and smells. The terpene in Cypress makes it uniquely resistant to fungal decay, which is the primary reason wood rots. ‘Gros-Beck’ cypress which supposedly "grows back" from the stumps cut scores ago, hasn't lived long enough to accumulate the Cypressene oil to make it resistant to fungal decay. Some experts theorize it takes at least 800-1000 years for the tree to accumulate enough Cypressene to effectively resist decay. It’s also considered “old growth” because the growth rings are extremely tight, sometimes bearing (2) rings per year, commonly referred to as "false rings", some bearing 40-50 rings per inch versus today’s Georgia SUPER PINES that may exhibit 5-6. The Old Growth Cypress trees had so many growth rings because it only grew a few millimeters per year because it was always in standing water and struggled for nutrients. A cypress tree up close to a main river on an alluvial (higher) plane that spent most of the year out of submerged water grew much more quickly, giving us the name “Highland” Cypress. Many inexperienced craftsmen have made the grave mistake of assembling doors and windows or porch railings out of gros-beck cypress only to see it rot very quickly. Some Highland Cypress may have lived over a thousand years, and accumulated enough Cypressene to resist rot, but with wider growth rings, is more unstable than wood with tighter growth rings which means it may warp easier. The French Doors and sashes on my house are original and have never rotted because they were constructed of this same wood. If they were made of highland cypress, they would have only lasted 4-5 years conservatively. On a side note - An old trick settlers used to make their fence posts last longer was to drill a long hole in the top of the post and pour salt in the hole and fill with a plug. The hole would be replenished when needed, but the salt would seep into the wood and preserve the wood.
In the 1700’s, many settlers didn’t have sophisticated tools, some being exiled Acadians with nothing to their name at all, yet desperately required shelter. Riving (splitting) wood was a quick and effective way to create planks for shelter construction. Many of the first homes in Louisiana were cladded with these boards. These boards were called Merrain’s (pronounced meh’rahn) and were typically 6’-8’ in length. The word Merrain in today’s French translates to a piece of oak used for a barrel stave. If you go back to its meaning as it was used in medieval times, it translates as “construction wood” [2]. In Louisiana, they used the term to describe these riven planks. The Acadians that used that term came from Nova Scotia in the 1700’s but prior to that, left France in the 14th & 15th centuries, so it stands to reason that some of the French words used were “outdated” to say the least. The Merrain’s would be placed vertically on the roof, and for the siding, they could be placed both horizontally like clapboards or more commonly, vertically like board & batten style. It is thought that as homeowners gained more means, these very primitive homes were either torn down to make way for a more rain/air-tight home with sawn lumber, or they were upgraded with sawn weatherboards and tapered cypress shingles, hence very few of these survived into the 20th century. These homes also did not have the typical French Doors we’re accustomed to today, nor did some of the first homes have window sashes. The window opening was simply shut at night with a stick board shutter and a storm door. Again, as homeowners gained more means, these were replaced with French doors and sashes.
I have a theory that there were so many homes constructed in this primitive style, that when these primitive homes were torn down, the Merrain’s were then converted into Pieu’s simply by cutting them to the specified length and adding the traditional point at the top for a fence picket. I’m not theorizing that ALL Pieu’s came from Merrain’s, only that a portion may have been sourced from Merrain’s being that they probably had an overabundance of them and the people of that time didn’t throw anything away or waste anything at all. The original Acadians had vast corn and rice fields that needed to be protected and later on when sugarcane became popular starting in the 1830’s, the amount of fencing needed could be reduced because not many animals feed on sugar cane. I have some original Merrains that my father, brother, and myself took off of a repurposed barn, and they’re probably some of the last “original” Merrain’s left in the State.
Almost every home along the river in Louisiana had Pieu fences, from the most primitive, all the way up to the elaborate Plantation Homes. Most all were whitewashed. I’ve read letters written from the Commandant of St. James Parish to the Governor’s office in the 1780’s obliging the Governor’s request for thousands of Pieu’s to be sent downriver to New Orleans for government needs. Providing these lumber requests were part of the contract requirements in receiving a land grant from the Spanish King. Today we fence our property to keep things in, and for privacy, but back then, they fenced property to keep things out, and the Pieu fences were not tall enough to satisfy privacy needs. Almost every family had at least one cow, if not more, and Free-Grazing was very popular even on into the 20th century and cattle roamed free, and most if not every day, the farmer would have to go find and bring back the cattle. If your yard was not fenced, the neighbor’s cattle would come into the yard to graze on the grass or your garden for that matter. This also gives you an idea of the structural needs of the fence – meaning it had to be strong enough to resist a strong cow trying to get some fresh green grass on the other side, pushing on it with plenty of weight. Most Pieu’s were only 4’-5’ tall, just tall enough to keep out cattle, but not for privacy like we see in 7’ & 8’ fences today. Hurricanes typically wreaked havoc on these fences, so the height was kept at the absolute minimum height needed to make them more wind resistant. The points were added to deter a cow’s head from reaching over and trying to eat the grass on the other side. It’s been documented that in some areas, the Pieu’s were placed in a shallow trench at the bottom. This could have been to add strength to the fence in the same way a fort is constructed. When the fence rotted at the bottom, they would trim the boards and use them elsewhere for other purposes. If the boards became too short, a water table (horizontal 2”x8” or 2”x10”) could be added to make up the height difference.
Many homes had flower gardens in their front yard called Parterre’s. Closely placed cypress fence pickets were placed just far enough apart to not allow a chicken to pass through. The same logic was used on the balusters to keep the chickens from “messing” on the porch. The highway system as we know it today was non-existent. If the Governor wanted to leave New Orleans to travel to Baton Rouge, the river road, referred to as “The King’s Highway”, was the only means of transportation by land. Steamboats were the other alternative, but still, very prominent people would pass in front of your house, so if the settler was “proud” they tried to make their front yards very appealing to the many passerby’s. Instead of Pieu fencing in the very front, sawn pickets were used to make the front yard more formal. Once the fencing got to about the side of the house towards the back yard, the fencing would switch to the riven Pieu’s.
Chickens were allowed to roam all through the yard and it was encouraged for them to roam under the houses. No one had termite problems as long as the chickens could roam under the houses. Chickens thrive on eating insects and find termites very appealing. Lime was made from slaking oyster shells and mixed with the soil to harden and stabilize it. Many early kitchens in Louisiana had Earthen floors stabilized with this slaked lime. The lime is very caustic, and when mixed with the soil would also deter termites, roaches, and many other insects.
So next time you see an old Pieu fence, there’s a lot more there than meets the eye. When I see an old fence picket, all of the aforementioned information passed down from my father, Henry Chauvin races through my head - hopefully writing it down here will help with that in the future!
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