The Ward O’Hara Museum – Agriculture and Country Living Museum

As with all my adventures, you never know what you will find! Here I spent a fascinating 2 hours discovering how folks in the New York State farmlands once lived and worked.

There are many replicas of the era to see in this fine restoration. Let’s start with the Blacksmith Shop

In each area there is a video to explain the display.

The School House

Teachers in this era certainly had stern rules to live by. Take a read.

The store- This was the center of the community. Here people visited with others, got their mail, news of the day, and supplies.

Equipment of the era

Have wondered how Auburn became such a wealthy area. Got my answer from a friendly docent. Farmers often became industrialists with the inventions they created to ease their workload. Things such as parts for carriages, and farm equipment, rope, then there is the Burroughs adding machine, piano makers, time clocks and time pieces, steam agricultural and train equipment … All these ideas and inventions came from those in the Auburn area. There was even a woman inventor who developed a posture assistant.

An Auburn made piano.

Other pieces of equipment.

Beginnings of the Museum..

And now to Ward O’Hara the instigator of this fine museum. He began his career as a farmer then started a John Deere dealership in the area. He later became a congressman and with all the jewels he had received from his farmer friends (and stored) in his barn he had the makings for a museum. In his role as a legislator he developed the proposal for the museum, obtained the lands and viola the Ward O’Hara Museum was begun. Thanks, Ward.

His Model T Vehicles..

1922 Model T Ford

Also in the museum is Ward’s 102 year old Ford Truck which is still used for the museum’s June museum festival, occuring the first weekend. Sounds like fun and the docent gave me an invite for a ride during this event.

Some other interesting facets of the museum not to miss.