The nonprofit museum includes a “village” of farm and rural buildings brought in from elsewhere, including a log corncrib (c. 1825), blacksmith's shop (c. 1850), schoolhouse (c. 1850), railroad station (c. 1864), and fully stocked general store (c. 1873). St. Thomas Methodist Church (1857, later altered), from Shortly, Sussex County, was moved here in 1994. It features original pews, chairs, pulpit, altar table, and cast-iron stoves, the latter made in 1878. A mill was built from scratch on the village grounds, incorporating milling equipment of 1862. Carney Farm (1893) gives a good idea of old-fashioned rural living. Fully one-quarter of the house was devoted to the parlor, a mark of status, and ample porches offered space for work and relaxation. The outdoor or summer kitchen is a late survival of this type of feature. Given that Delaware loses 10,000 acres of farmland every year, this museum may be as close as tomorrow's schoolchildren get to experiencing farm life.
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Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village
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Location: Dover, DelawareRegional Overviews:Architect:Styles:no metadata availableMaterials:
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Citation
W. Barksdale Maynard, "Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village", [Dover, Delaware], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/DE-01-DV3.
Print Source
Buildings of Delaware, W. Barksdale Maynard. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2008, 248-248.
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