Q: "penny-fort" (not in OED): Something new, or just a "pinafore"?

[Joel S. Berson]

Allegedly from Thomas's "The Farmer's Almanack", in the "Farmer's
Calendar" for June, 1821.  Found in Kittredge's "The Old Farmer and
His Almanac", Corner House Publishers, 1974, page 179.

We [farmhands], must be up in the morning, aye in the morning I say;
and not lie in bed until nigh twelve, like Capt. Dashup's girls, who
are thrumming and drumming and humming all night long with their
_penny-forts_ [italicized] and jews-harps."

"Penny-fort" is not in the OED.  Is this merely New England farmers'
dialect for "pinafore"?  Was there something slightly disgraceful
about being up all night in a pinafore??

P.S.  I doubt the f is an incorrectly transcribed long s.

Joel

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