Annie's Crannies About Us

A Family Tradition

William Walker landed on the Cape in 1630, married Sarah Snow daughter of Constance Hopkins who arrived on the Mayflower.
Francis Baker arrived in 1635 and settled in the Bass River area on lands granted by King James. Cranberries have been a part of
my family's long Cape tradition. It was my grandfather, Benjamin Walker, a Dennis lobster fisherman and cranberry grower, who
owned the bog I now work. Ben is documented as the fastest picker in his day using a hand rocker scoop. In 1912, in a six-hour
day on the old Luther Hall bog in Nobscussett (formerly belonging to Henry Hall and prior the Nobscussett Indian Tribe), Ben
harvested 19 barrels of berries (almost one ton) - that was 238 measures. At six cents a measure he netted $14.28, which was
more than many men earned in a week and well worth the tired back. In the 1930's the cranberry industry plummeted. Like many
growers of the time, Ben Walker was forced to sell off his bogs, his last in the 1950's.

Decades passed and in 1994, I decided to change my career as a Broadway production wardrobe supervisor. I wanted to "come
home" and try my hand (knees and back) at the tradition of growing cranberries. After an exhaustive search and negotiation, I
acquired the Dennis bog formerly owned by my grandfather, Ben. Amazingly the plot plan still had Ben's Bog and Molly's Pasture
clearly labeled. As fate would have it, I have a nephew Ben and a niece Molly who have already helped plant, weed, and pick the
bog. Perhaps I can nurture a piece of history for future generations to continue.