Spite Fences.

When I was young, I would hear my parents commenting about a property we would pass on the way to my elementary school where someone built a giant fence between his yard and his neighbor’s yard.  My Mom would remark that it was a “spite fence.”  As a child, I had a hard time understanding what its purpose was, and how the name applied to the situation.  Now as an adult, the purpose and meaning have become crystal clear.

Back in the 1960s, the spite fence that caused such a stir was made of unsightly leftover materials and junk.  It was truly an eyesore.  The spiteful neighbor meant to block his neighbor’s view into his own backyard.  He used whatever materials he could find to trash the property line and annoy his neat and tidy neighbor.  What argument precipitated this deliberate feud fortification, we never knew.  But, the spite fence was certainly the talk of the township.

This small scale Hatfield and McCoy confrontation spurred the local officials to enact an ordinance to not allow this sort of timber tactic for getting even with neighbors.  Unfortunately, the spite fence remained in place since it was built prior to this new policy’s enactment.  It remained intact for years.  Eventually, once the property was sold, the nasty neighbor’s negative fence was dismantled by new owners much to the relief of the township and its rural residents.

Being a good neighbor was easier back then, it seemed to me.  Our non-farm neighbors were our friends.  They would bring drinks to my Dad as he worked in the fields, giving him a refreshing break and letting him catch up on their lives for a few minutes.  He never turned down a kind neighbor’s offer, even if he had just had a similar field break the round before.  Our neighbors understood farming and the hard work that went into it.  They respected my parents’ land and appreciated living next door.

Things certainly have changed over the past four decades.  Today, we see high fences dividing neighbors’ properties on a routine basis.  People hide behind these barriers to avoid knowing or working with their neighbors.  Sometimes they are designed to confine pets to their own yard which may be a good thing.  But does it truly take a six-foot high fence to contain a Chihuahua?

Today’s spite fences are certainly more attractive than the one I recall from my childhood, but they accomplish the same purpose.  They place a physical and psychological barrier between neighbors.  They are too high to see over or converse through.  They are not conducive to “over the fence” communication opportunities.  Wood or weather-proof plastic fencing blocks the way of getting to know the person next door.

In the farm community, maintaining good neighbor relations is a constant challenge.  The Commonwealth’s antique fencing law was enacted to ensure the cost of boundary line fences would be shared by both farmers since they would both benefit.  In that case, the adage “good fences make good neighbors” did apply since the constructed fence made sure livestock was contained on their home farms.  Unfortunately, the fences I see springing up today in rural Pennsylvania have nothing to do with keeping livestock under control.  Instead, they are an attempt to stake out the private territory of quarter-acre lot owners.  The “Keep Out” message comes through loud and clear from these new folks who want to keep to themselves even when they are living in a development where houses are packed in like sardines in a can.

When new folks move next to a farm, they quickly learn their fancy fences can’t keep out the noise, smells, insects, dust, and all the other factors that come with country living.  While they love the bucolic setting surrounding their newly-built home, they don’t appreciate anything that gets in their way of enjoying their fenced in back yard.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, farmers get more complaints served to them than refreshing drinks on a hot summer day.  While we can never go back, I much prefer reflecting on the time of my childhood when one spite fence was the talk of the entire township rather than the constant struggles we seem to have today with far too many non-farm neighbors.  Tearing down the fences of misunderstanding is just one more job to add to a farmer’s full schedule, but it is essential for our future.
 
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