Talk:Picket fence

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Untitled[edit]

Claims that need to be researched further:

Picket fences were first seen in the American architectural "First Period", from about 1626 to 1725. The inventor is unknown.

The sharp design may be an adaptation of wrought iron fencing, used historically to protect cemeteries, churches and other small properties.

Jimmetry (talk) 15:28, 4 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

My understanding is that picket fences first had rather practical, farming purposes (i.e., containing poultry), have been used in Europe at least since the middle ages, but probably by humans for as long as they have kept poultry. They are used throughout the western and non-western world. They were only painted white and became a status symbol in the Victorian period. This is a pretty thin article. Eve789 (talk) 15:13, 10 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Paling fence[edit]

In Australia, picket fences are often known as paling fences, i.e. a fence made of pales, which means stakes or pickets. This word seems to be totally unknown on Wikipedia, which I presume means it isn't used in the USA. Any comments? Peter Bell (talk) 09:10, 19 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

That does not appear to be true, I am not American but in a gbooks search for pale fence most of the books on the first page are published in the US. Also, Wikipedia is not a dictionary and does not necessarily contain every word. Also, Wikipedia articles are not always written in American English, see WP:ENGVAR, so absence of a word does not necessarily imply that it is not used in the US. Spinning Spark 14:15, 19 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Picket etymology[edit]

The article says that the vertical "boards with pointed tops are called 'pickets' for their resemblance to the pointed stakes historically used by infantry to repel cavalry", with a citation needed tag. That is one explanation. Another explanation is that "picket" refers to a pointed stick or stake, but it's the point on the bottom driven into the ground, not the point on the top. Nowadays, the verticals are typically not driven into the ground, because it's less work and because it helps protect the verticals from rot. Also nowadays, the verticals are often not pointed at the top or the bottom. Perhaps originally, each individual stake was driven into the ground. It would be easier to drive a stake into the ground if the top is flat. Some authority, or perhaps pictures of picket fences from long ago, can help determine if the etymology relates to a sharpened point on the bottom, or a sharpened point on the top. —Anomalocaris (talk) 23:24, 7 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]