Visiting the Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown

OneGoodDad

6 years ago

The farm life to a New York City kid is a foreign concept. There is a farm in Queens that is on every NYC school’s field trip schedule, but to see a farm, you must be intentional. Seeing cows, goats, and pigs in the Queens Zoo and Bronx Zoo doesn’t quite show what farm life is like. My kids are descendants of farmers, but there is little I can teach them about what life is like on a farm.

I’ve been writing a series of articles about our trip to Cooperstown. When most people think of Cooperstown, baseball comes to mind. And rightfully so because Cooperstown is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Cooperstown is a town that is rich in more ways than the great game of baseball. You can stumble through history at Hyde Hall, honor a writing legend at James Fennimore Cooper’s grave, take a dip in Oswego Lake, and visit distilleries. And if you are like my family and come from a long line of farmers, explore what life was like for your ancestors at the Farmers’ Museum.

The Farmers’ Museum sits on land that was once owned by James Fennimore Cooper and has been a working farm since 1813. The museum opened to the public in 1944 and continues to educate city folk like me on what farming life looked like years ago, and what it’s like now to work on a farm.

There are many buildings on site, with each one serving a different purpose; such as a blacksmith shop, chicken coup, stable, and even an old church. Employees are stationed throughout the farm to answer questions and to demonstrate farming life. As we moved around, I shared some stories I knew about my grandfather and great grandfathers. There was some equipment that I recognized from visiting my great grandfather when I was a little boy and I did my best to explain their purpose.

We were at the museum for about 2 hours and it was enough to see everything, but we could have stayed longer. We had somewhere else to go, which is why we left. The next time I visit, I plan on giving myself more time and eat at the museum’s café.