Farmer's Museum

After a morning walk, we began our second day in Cooperstown.

Just off Hwy 80 between US 20 and Cooperstown, we ate breakfast at the Mt. Wellington Market. Their specialty is a breakfast sandwich, with egg and sausage, but on a split Old Fashioned donut! The combination of sweet and savory is to die for! With a cup of freshly brewed specialty coffee, we didn't want to leave! Best of all, the weather was great, and we sat in rocking chairs on the front porch while we ate!

Farther down the road, the Farmers Museum is a wonderful collection of information and artifacts that introduces the visitor to all aspects of a farm, from dairy activities to egg production, to crops. In addition, a collection of original buildings from past years have been assembled so we can see what daily life was like a hundred years ago.

Dairies have been the mainstay of this area for years, and continue to be a large industry.

Posters explain in great detail the activities taking place at a typical dairy.

These days, most of the milk is used in yogurt production, with New York state known as the "Silicon Valley of Yogurt". Back in the day, however, prior to prohibition, the growing of Hops for beer brewing was a huge industry. The perfect combination of soil and temperature make for much sought after hops.

The Farmers Museum grows a small crop of hops as an example, and some of the crop was being harvested as we watched. The hops at this stage are very, very light, and seem to float into the baskets.











The museum has a great collection of tools used back in the day, including some unusual trades like these glove makers dies.

An extensive array of carpentry tools used in the 1800's was stashed along one wall.

There was a huge display of ancient field working tools, including plows, hay balers, and cultivators.

One of the restored houses was the home of the Dimmick family, with each room describing its use in everyday life. The sewing room had an interesting plaque.

Donna wondered if Edward C. Clark was any relation to the thread manufactures Coates & Clark.

The museum maintains large paddocks for its draft horses, barns for sheep, pens for pigs and large yards for the chickens to scratch in.

A small flower garden caught our eye.

Back at Shadow Brook, we started packing for the next leg of our summer journey.