Franklin County House of History - Part 2

I was touring the downstairs rooms of the Franklin County Museum in Malone, New York (see yesterday's post):

The downstairs parlors were elegant and impressive. This obviously was once the home of a wealthy family:

I moved to the foot of the stairs, where antique baby dolls rested in antique carriages:

I've noticed before that museums have lots of baby dolls and dresses, especially wedding dresses, because women cherished them and kept them all their lives, passing them on to their heirs. I always think of how much a doll was loved by someone - or by several people in a family:

I climbed the stairs and entered a room dedicated to weaving and looms:

School groups come here and get to weave a short section of fabric, which is added to the previous groups' sections and displayed in long scarves:

There were also candle making displays where the school children got to see candles being made and a corn broom making machine. There was also a one room school house display. But what really caught my eye was this county themed quilt, memorializing some of the rustic beauty of the surrounding town and countryside:

There was a room crammed full of antique farm implements:

I found these old farm tools fascinating and I'll bet that some of them would still be useful today:

I returned to the kitchen to end my tour but was told that there was one more room, containing a general store. I had not seen that the last time I visited, so it was totally new and fascinating to me:

The general store was full of antiques for display but also had souvenirs for sale:

This was a lively and elaborate display, perhaps my favorite part of the museum tour. But I'd seen everything at that point, so I thanked my guide and began making my way home to do the evening chores:

Franklin County House of History - Part 1

It had been a long time since I was at the museum in Malone, New York and winter was rapidly approaching when they'd be closed. So one afternoon I drove to Malone to take another look:

The entrance leads into an old fashioned kitchen, complete with wood cook stove:

And a real pantry:

Even the curtains in the pantry looked old timey:

From the kitchen, I proceeded into the more formal parts of this old mansion, where a headless manikin in a servant's uniform stood by the door:

Malone was the home of William A. Weaver, 19th Vice-President of the United States, elected in 1876 with Rutherford B. Hayes. This was not Mr. Weaver's home, but this bedroom contains his furniture and personal belongings:

A nightstand in the bedroom:

Back into the more formal rooms, I took notice of several glass display cases which held Civil War memorabilia:

A selection of old teapots caught my fancy. I've always liked teapots even though I don't like tea:

Parrit Blaisdell Jr., a stage coach driver between Windsor and Montpelier, Vt. married Betsy Standish, a descendant of Miles Standish, in 1822. Their portraits now hang in the House of History:

Then I proceeded to the elegant front stairway, where a 1920s style flapper was standing:

Before going upstairs, however, there were several parlors to investigate. I'll post more photos tomorrow from the Franklin County House of History: