An exhibit showcasing Tioga County’s agricultural heritage, “Born to Farm,” is on display through Sept. 30 at the Tioga History Museum, located at 110 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. Entry to the exhibit is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors 62 and older. Children and members are free. For more information, call (607) 687-2460, email to museum@tiogahistory.org, visit www.tiogahistory.org or “Like” them on Facebook. (Photos by JoAnn R. Walter)
An exhibit showcasing Tioga County’s agricultural heritage, “Born to Farm,” is on display through Sept. 30 at the Tioga History Museum (THM), located at 110 Front St. in Owego, N.Y.
Visitors of all ages are sure to find the “Born to Farm” exhibit absorbing and worthy of a stop, and will walk away with a deeper appreciation of Tioga County’s rich farm heritage.
The museum, open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will also be hosting “Born to Farm” special presentations, of which two lecture series are scheduled on May 6 and May 20 starting at 2 p.m.
John Ricklefs, a member of the museum’s Board of Trustees and curator of the “Born to Farm” exhibit, along with Executive Director Staci Becker, explained that the idea for the exhibit came about after it was realized that it had been some time since the wealth of farm tools and equipment housed in the adjoining carriage house had been brought out for viewing.
Pictured is a fanning mill manufactured in the 1870’s in Waverly, and one of many examples of early farm equipment on display at the “Born to Farm” exhibit through Sept. 30 at the Tioga History Museum.
The exhibit, which encompasses two main themes, “Farming: The Original Family Business,” and “Women: The Invisible Famers,” takes visitors as far back as the late 1700’s to Native American life in the area and the Sullivan-Clinton expedition, followed by the stories of farm settlers in the county during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The exhibit presents farming as the original family career, and highlights an important section dedicated to the impact made by women on the farm, such as their dedication to gardening, cooking, cleaning and raising children, and the often overlooked role women played in managing the family farm.
An exhibit showcasing Tioga County’s agricultural heritage, “Born to Farm,” is on display through Sept. 30 at the Tioga History Museum, located at 110 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. Pictured is the main room of the exhibit.
The main room of the museum is filled with farm equipment such as an 1870’s fanning mill made in Waverly, N.Y. and a corn sheller produced by Springsteen and Jones out of Owego in the late 1880’s. Farm tools to view include a cream separator, winnowing basket, barley fork and a seed planter, among others. A necessary household item on the farm, the ironing board, is displayed in the women’s section, and includes an early model manufactured by Smith and Cassidy of Tioga Center.
One part of the exhibit not to miss is an extensive collection of Tioga County dairy bottles. For more than 100 years, dairy farming has been the “lifeblood of the county” as the exhibit conveys, and at its peak, more than 70 farms in Tioga County bottled their own milk. Another interesting item to view is a model barn built by Owego’s own Ivory Foster in 1863, and which has been handed down through the generations and now resides at the museum.
An exhibit showcasing Tioga County’s agricultural heritage, “Born to Farm,” is on display through Sept. 30 at the Tioga History Museum. Two themes, “Farming: The Original Family Business,” and “Women: The Invisible Farmers,” includes a display of household items. Pictured is an early ironing board manufactured by Smith and Cassidy of Tioga Center.
From Tioga County’s first cash crop, lumber, to the major cash crop of tobacco, which in turn saw the growth of cigar factories in the county, to wagon makers and the first automatic manure spreader, visitors will be amazed at the multitude of early businesses that helped shape the county. Also on display are nods to the various organizations known today, such as 4-H and Cornell Cooperative Extension, along with information on crops grown in the county, including the notable strawberry, and other festivals and events which remain a part of the county’s tradition today.
Entry to the “Born to Farm” exhibit is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors 62 and older. Children and members are free. For more information, call (607) 687-2460, email to museum@tiogahistory.org, visit www.tiogahistory.org or “Like” them on Facebook.
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