Hopkinton, New York Town Museum - Part 2

I was touring the Hopkinton town museum on a rainy Saturday (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and had just finished the first floor. I walked upstairs and began in the military room. There were old uniforms, awards, banners, photos, flags and this model airplane. The lighting was bad, though, and this was the only photo from the military room which was usable:

They had an old typewriter and once again I realized that I've become old enough to have used some of the items which are now museum pieces:

The bedroom was typical for the 1800s, including bedpans, long johns and nightshirts, and reminded me of my grandmother's bedroom:


One wall had additional artifacts and some children's clothing:

A baby's crib, dolls and nightclothes:

Yes, this reminded me very much of my grandmother's bedroom:

Another upstairs room had been furnished as an old time schoolroom, complete with desks, globe and picture of George Washington:

I returned downstairs and went to the kitchen to photograph the old fashioned wood stove, once again an item I have used in my childhood:

  A cabinet which perhaps would be called a Hoosier:

The attendant took me out to the Museum Annex which was filled with old tools from around the farm and house:

A fanning mill for grain, a mold for making concrete block, snowshoes, corn planter, scythes, barrels and Adirondack pack baskets:

And a fire department pumper, made in 1897 and used in this town until 1927:

All kinds of tools;

Two old fashioned washing machines, a wringer and logging saws. There was one more building to see but the light was too dim for photography. So I thanked my host and headed for home:

The Hammond Museum, Part 3

I had just entered the stone house, second building in the Hammond Museum complex, and discovered that it consisted of domestic scenes from an earlier era. I began in the kitchen, with its wood stove, fireplace and Dutch oven:

From there I entered the dining room, complete with a model of an apple pie:

A parlor:

And a bedroom:

Out behind the stone house was a carriage house which, it won't surprise you to learn, held carriages. Also, notice the old wheelbarrow:

And a fanning mill:

And a sleigh:

We walked out to the large barn which, I had been told, had been disassembled on a local farm, brought to this site and reassembled:

It was filled with a jumble of wondrous artifacts, everything illuminated by electrified railroad lanterns:

The barn was had a collection of all sorts of things - just as a barn should have:

From there we walked out to the blacksmith's shop:

And the railroad ticket sales office, also brought here from a local site. But this was the end of my tour. I stopped back in the office to thank the historian and her young assistant for the tours. Then I left for home, where I had a lot of animals waiting for me:

Photos From Around The Farm

I had to find a bigger bin to use as a chick brooder:

The chicks were growing like weeds and feathering out nicely:

Outdoors, the Lamium was spreading and blooming profusely:

The iris stopped blooming, but the Asiatic Lilies began. Notice the hen scratching beneath the flowers:

The chickens love grass clippings, and run to the lawn mower as soon as I shut if off:

I have a very old fanning mill in my barn's hay loft. I took a photo of it and sent an email to the Power and Equipment Museum, offering to donate it. They declined the offer, saying they already had several fanning mills:

And one morning, I walked into the bathroom and found Georgette harassing a bat. I shooed her out of the room, closed the door, opened the window screens and endeavored to get the bat out the window. At first it tried hiding under the bathroom scales:

And then it tried hanging from my Mexican moon:

It landed on a bath mat and I eventually got it out the window. With bats dying of white nose syndrome, it's more important than ever to be spare them and help them:

The wild elderberries which live in my old silo base began to bloom:

Their blossoms are really quite attractive and soon will be berries, feeding the wild birds:

I took a photo of the baby fantail pigeons at one week of age and was shocked that only one had lived. But it was growing at an astounding rate, its eyes were open and I think we're going to have a new fantail pigeon to share the barn: