Origin of the Picket Fence
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the term “picket” originates (in 1690) from the French “piquet,” from the verb “piquer,” meaning “to pierce,” hence the pointed shape of the picket. Once used as a weapon, the picket also helped form a barrier. As Random House indicates, its verb form means “to enclose within a picket fence or stockade, as for protection or imprisonment: to picket a lawn; to picket captives.”
History of the White Picket Fence
White picket fencing installations have existed since the early colonial days in American history, as the harsh conditions after the Revolutionary War called for sturdy, utilitarian and simple fence designs. This classic wood fence installation originated from medieval palings that were made of round stakes or flat strips of locally found wood. A white picket cedar fence may have easily been more expensive during the colonial days, particularly if the wood was imported from a location several miles away.
