Her dad was a self-declared salesman, who never seemed to make his dreams a reality. He had grand plans to make the farm into a subdivision for the growing town of Springdale (which grew in the opposite direction from the farm).  He was known for moving and leaving many debts unpaid. 

The farmhouse was simple, and reflected the family’s economic status.   There was a lean-to kitchen added to the side of the house.  The house never had indoor plumbing while Rachel lived there (1907-1925), and it was without electricity when they moved in. Among the farm's several outbuildings, there was a large gable-roofed barn, a matching garage, a chicken coop, and a springhouse (which supplied them with fresh water and was used to keep foods cool, since they had no refrigerator).

While they had plenty of land, cash was always in short supply for the Carson family. Over the years, they had to sell off blocks of the farm.   

Today Rachel’s homestead is preserved by the Rachel Carson Homestead Association.  There they hold tours and classes, and visitors can experience the surroundings that influenced and taught Rachel as a young child.

Rachel had only a few friends in childhood, which could have been due to their isolation or to the fact that any friend had to first win the approval of Rachel’s mom.  One such friend was Charlotte Fisher.  She would bring the Carsons loads of books whenever her family went to Pittsburgh.  This was especially important since Springdale had no library at the time, and Rachel loved to read and she loved to write.

Rachel learned to read at a young age, and decided quite early in life that she would become a writer.  She liked school, possibly because she learned to read early.  She would write poetry and bind it together as a gift for her Dad.  When she was ten, she decided to submit a story to a magazine for publication.  By the time she was 11, Rachel got her first story published in the children’s section of St. Nicholas Magazine. 

Rachel said many years later: “I can remember no time, even in the earliest of childhood, when I didn’t assume I was going to be a writer.  Also, I can remember no time when I wasn’t interested in the out-of-doors and the whole world of nature.  Those interests, I know, I inherited from my mother and have always shared with her.”  

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