Museum exhibit celebrates 100th anniversary of the Ohio Farm Bureau
COSHOCTON – A video about the Ohio Farm Bureau’s 100th anniversary sparked the idea to celebrate agriculture here in Coshocton County.
“Jesse Whinnery is on the farm bureau board and our friends of the museum board,” said Jennifer Bush, director of the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum. “When he showed us that video last year we thought it would be a cool idea to highlight local farmers. We contacted the Coshocton Farm Bureau for names and found people that were willing to loan us items.”
The new exhibit is open now through Jan. 5, 2020 and features everything from documents and pictures to small farm equipment.
“I think the most unusual piece is a sheep shearing chair that Todd Endsley loaned us,” Bush said. “I’ve never seen anything like that or would have guest that’s what it was.”
Part of the exhibit area also celebrates the impact of OSU Extension and 4-H in our community. A unique item on display there is a large quilt made in 1964 that features all the names of girls’ 4-H clubs at that time and their members.
Another quilt made by the former Happy Neighbors ladies home economics club also is part of the exhibit. Each person in the club made a square and their name is on it. Quilters also have their names on the blocks they made for a quilt honoring each township in Coshocton County.
Some other handcrafted items on display are doll clothing made out of chicken feed sacks.
“Phyllis Debnar told me the ladies would want to get to the feed truck as quickly as they could so they could get the print they wanted,” Bush said.
Mixed in with the local antiques are displays explaining the history of the farm bureau and the impact it’s had on people.
“They had a lot to do with rural electrification in Coshocton and Muskingum counties,” Bush said. “They really struggled with that because of landscape and terrain in the counties, but the farm bureau worked to get it going.”
This exhibit is sponsored by the Coshocton County Farm Bureau. The Ohio Arts Council also helped fund this event with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
“I hope this helps people learn about the farm bureau and how important it is to everyone,”’ Bush said. “I also hope it helps people gain some sense of pride for our farming community. Farmers are proud of their heritage. We have at least six or more local farms features including Schumakers, which is a bicentennial farm and the Pews, which is 100 years old.”
The Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum is located at 300 N. Whitewoman St. For information, contact the museum at 740-622-8710, jhmuseum@jhmuseum.org, or visit www.jhmuseum.org. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays. Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for kids.
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Multimedia, Photo Galleries
