Geneva, N.Y.: On Saturday, August 11, the Geneva Historical Society will hold its biennial Farm Heritage Day at Johnston House at 3523 East Lake Road in Fayette. This event will give visitors, particularly families, the chance to sample 19th-century farm life through games, period crafts and farming activities, presentations, and exhibits. The activities will run from 12 to 4 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
Programming at Farm Heritage Day will reflect life and work on the Johnston family’s farm in the 1800s. Hands-on activities will help visitors connect to the past—learning about the region’s history while having fun. Planned activities include: operating an antique cornsheller, making butter, and testing milking skills on a simulated milk cow. There will be crafts for kids and the opportunity to meet a farm calf and oxen. Representatives from a variety of local agricultural, community, and animal welfare agencies will be there, including the Ward W. O'Hara Museum and Geneva Reads. The Johnston House and the Weaver Drain Tile Museum will be open to visitors throughout the day.
Farm Heritage Day will take place out of doors, rain or shine, on the grounds of the Johnston House. The program is free, but donations are appreciated.
The 1822 Johnston House sits on part of what was once the Johnston family farm. Scottish immigrant John Johnston and his wife Margaret raised six daughters and two granddaughters on their Fayette farm. He successfully applied then-innovative methods on his land, including the use of tile drainage, a practice essential to modern agriculture. In addition to the restored house, the property holds an extensive collection of drain tile dating from 500 B.C. to the present, donated by soil conservationist Mike Weaver in honor of Johnston’s work with agricultural drainage.
The Johnston House is owned and operated by the Geneva Historical Society. The house is located at 3523 East Lake Road, at the junction of Route 96A near Geneva. For more information about Farm Heritage Day, call the Geneva Historical Society at 315-789-5151 or visit our website www.genevahistoricalsociety.com.
