Celebrating yesteryear on the farm
Wayne County's rich agricultural heritage will take center stage in the Wayne County Historical Society's latest special exhibit – Yesteryear on the Farm.According to Gerry Payn, the man who coordinated the exhibit, it focuses on farming prior to 1950, showcases not only the historical society's extensive collection of farming-related artifacts, but also items from private collections throughout Wayne County.
Displays in the Kister Building illustrate the diversity of the farming industry. According to Payn, all of the various types of farming enterprises are represented, including dairy, fruits and vegetables, poultry, sheep and swine.
Displays on historic barns, farm tools, tractors and other farming equipment are also included, along with a special tribute to farm wives. Service and social organizations important to farmers such as the 4-H, Farm Bureau, Future Farmers of America, Young Farmers of America, Grange, Experiment Station (OARDC) and Soil Conservation Service are also represented.
The other buildings on the historical society's extensive campus will also be part of the exhibit.
The Ladies' Dress Shop will feature a display of sewing and needle work of farm wives. Visitors to the exhibit can also tour the mid-nineteenth century General Store, which also functioned as a social gathering place for farm families, the historic Beall House, which was built as a farm house for the General Reasin Beall family, and the Relief Co. No. 4 firehouse, which Payne said played an important role in protecting farm families during disasters.
The exhibit begins with a special grand opening celebration on May 23, from 1-5 p.m., featuring extensive outdoor exhibits of antique tractors and an oxen team. For young visitors, there will be a display of pedal tractors and a horse-drawn "kid wagon." Area 4-H clubs will also be on hand to sell ice cream.
For Payn, having the opportunity to work on the exhibit has evoked memories of his own childhood growing up on his father's farm near Lodi.
At an early age, Payn decided to follow in his father's footsteps as a dairy farmer. After earning his degree in farm management from Ohio State, Payn operated his own dairy farm for seven years.
When he realized that the often solitary life of a dairy farmer wasn't a good fit for his outgoing personality, he returned to school to earn his teaching certificate and taught middle school science for the remainder of his career.
Much has changed since Payn left farming in the 1960s.
"The farmers that are still at it now have to be fantastic managers and business people, in addition to being hard workers," said Payn, quoting a statement made in the 1950s by Louis Bromfield of Malabar Farm fame, who said "the silliest statement ever made was that anyone can farm. You have to know more and understand more to be a good farmer than almost any profession I know."
Bromfield holds a special place in Payn's heart. At the age of four, Payn and his family moved to Malabar Farm, where his father worked as a dairyman for several years. More than 50 years later, Payn returned to Malabar Farm, where he has served as a volunteer tour guide since 1991.
The Yesteryear on the Farm exhibit, which is sponsored by the Fredericksburg, Northwestern, Smithville and Westwood Ruritan clubs, will be open to the public from May 21 through July 31, during the historical society's regular museum hours of 1:30-4:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Special tours can also be arranged by request.
For more information on the Wayne County Historical Society, visit their website at www.waynehistorical.org or call the historical society at 330-264-8856.