The Farm Antiques Museum is About to Turn 20
…and We Need Your Help!
(See Bottom of Article for Volunteer Opportunities)
History of the SCFB Farm Antiques Museum
As rapid urbanization encroached on Summit county and the surrounding areas, the local area faced a serious loss of historic artifacts and memorabilia relating to agriculture and the generations of farm families who laid the groundwork for modern farming.
In response to this trend, three long-time members of the Summit County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees – Mrs. Jean Call of Stow, Mr. John Graf of Copley, and Mr. Dean Hartong of Green – formed a committee to build a museum and start collecting antiques.
In July 1991, the Summit County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees completed construction on a 48′ x 80′ building on the Summit County Fair Grounds. This building was then officially dedicated to the Summit County Fair Board as a farm museum.
The public response to this concept was overwhelmingly positive and antique donations started to come in from the surrounding areas. As a result, the original building was expanded in 1994 to its present size of 68’ X 125.’ Substantial additions to the side and the rear of the building provided even more room to house the farming history of the county.
By 2002, the 8,500 square foot Farm Antiques Museum and its contents were valued at approximately $100,000. (The land on which the museum sits was donated to the non-profit Summit County Farm Bureau by the county Fair Board).
The Farm Antiques Museum Today
Today, Jean and Charlie Call of Stow serve as curators of the museum (and have donated thousands of hours over the years to make it a success). In fact, Jean’s continued drive and dedication to the Farm Antiques Museum has ensured that it is filled with interesting reminders of our local agricultural history.
Jean is enthusiastic about the ever-increasing inventory of the museum. “It seems like every time we have the county fair, there are people who have things to give us,” she explains.
Area residents who have items of historical significance stored away in basements, attics, and barns can donate them to the museum. The museum accepts items related to agriculture, rural living and our country’s historic trend toward urbanization. All items on display have been donated to the museum and then carefully restored to near-original condition. (Items on loan were originally put into the museum. However, only donated items are accepted now).
Highlights of the Farm Antiques Museum
When you walk into the Farm Antiques Museum, you’ll discover a wide variety of farming-related tools and implements, well-worn from use over the years, on display. In addition, generous donations have enabled the museum committee to a build a number of notable additions over the years, including a:
- One-Room School with a corner stool topped with a dunce cap. Ink wells sit on the desks and kerosene lanterns hang on the walls, alongside a blackboard from the old Stow High School.
- General Store, complete with baskets of corn, barrels, jars of penny candy, Ritz crackers, tobacco and a 1910 cash register. Shelves are filled with material, yarn, seeds, kitchen gadgets, pans, hats, and high button shoes. Adjacent to the store is a 1930s soda foundation from a local drugstore.
- Farm Kitchen and Dining Room. Here, you’ll be tempted to pull up a chair and have some pie – or at least lend a hand in baking – in this antique kitchen which includes a dry sink, a stove, a bread box and cupboards. The fireplace in the adjoining dining room display came from German Village near Columbus.
- Replica of a Coal Mine Shaft. This display features a coal mine entrance with rails and a car loaded with real coal that came from the old Tallmadge Coal Company. (Did you know that Henry Newberry opened the mine in 1825 and in 1855, the Tallmadge Coal Co., shipped 300,000 tons of coal to Cleveland via the Ohio Canal?)
In addition, the Farm Antiques Museum also features replicas of a:
- Cobbler’s Shop
- Blacksmith Shop
- Early Post Office
Of course, there is also a large display of farm-related equipment on display. For example, there are cultivators, ice cutters, hay forks, a cider and wine press, potato planter, a potato grader, a corn harvester, a wool tying table, a corn sheller, an old wooden truck, chicken coops, turkey and chicken hooks, and a wood grain drill. (To assist museum visitors, each item is tagged with its identification and the name of its donor).
Although historic farming machinery and tools were initially sought for the museum, the farm bureau has gratefully accepted a wide variety of antiques, ranging from vintage lawn mowers to old laundry machines to early modes of transportation.
In fact, the Farm Antiques Museum has assembled a particularly fine collection of laundry machines and wringers – one of the largest collections of its kind in the state. One of the earlier machines is from 1857, but the collection also includes a later Maytag model, complete with motor.
When you visit the museum, you’ll also see one of Akron’s first 1875 taxi cabs, a Firestone carriage, and a horse-drawn school bus. There’s also a horse-drawn buggy and an early horseless buggy that runs on a single-cylinder engine. The buggy features a gas and brake pedal and steering wheel. (The propane tank is located behind and slightly below the driver’s seat).
“Adults and children don’t realize how much agriculture went on in this area. At one time, Summit County was one of the foremost agricultural counties in the country. We seek to preserve that heritage so we can share it,” said Jean Call.
The Farm Antiques Museum is open each year during the Summit County Fair. So, be sure to mark your calendar now (July 26th – July 31st, 2011) to visit this little-known local treasure that is just waiting to be discovered…
The SCFB Farm Antiques Museum is Celebrating its 20th Anniversary This Summer… and We Need Your Help!
The museum needs a thorough “spring cleaning” to get ready for the Summit County Fair in July. We are seeking volunteers (teenagers and adults) to lend a hand on the following dates:
May 14th (Sat) 9 am – Noon and May 24th (Tues) 6 pm – 9 pm
Jun 9th (Thurs.) 6 pm – 9 pm and June 25th (Sat.) 9 am – Noon
July 9th (Sat.) 9 am – Noon and July 21st (Thurs.) 6 pm – 9 pm
Refreshments will be provided
We also need supervisors during the Summit County Fair
(July 26 – 31, 2011)
3 shifts available each day:
10 am – 2 pm | 2 pm – 6 pm | 6 pm – 10 pm
Please call our office at 800-654-5158 with your name, number and the date(s) and time(s) you are available. Thank you!!