The Colonial Period is the time after European settlement while our country was organized into colonies. Swedish and Dutch colonists had come to Delaware and settled in the area around the marsh. The Dutch were used to draining marshes for farmland and built dikes in a lot of marshes along the coast of Delaware. The marsh land was used to grow crops or to pasture animals and cut hay.
The European settlers did not collect as many things as they needed everyday from the marsh and woods around them. They got more of what they needed by trade. Boats were bigger and could trade even with people in Europe.
Many of the colonial houses were made from stone or brick. Houses were in clearings with nearby farmland. The marsh was probably used for animals such as cows and sheep and to raise hay. Some clothing was made from deer and beaver skins, but most clothing was from cotton, linen or wool. Women wore dresses with pinafores and men wore shirts and pants. Shoes were usually made of leather.
Farmers had tools that made farming easier. Crops were grown in fields and gardens. Animals were raised for food like milk, eggs and meat and for clothing. Colonists raised sheep for wool.
