Continuing our tour of the 21st Annual Farm Heritage Days at the Howard county Living Farm Heritage museum. See yesterpost here.
Next door to the construction site was the milking barn.
Another shed had a pair of blacksmiths making products and showing off skills.
Talking with the blacksmith was enlightening. I noticed that the anvils were chained down to their posts. The smith explained the chains serve two purposes. First, they keep the anvil from shifting around. When struck with a hammer they have a tendency to move, so the anvils need to be stabilized to make work easier. Second, the anvils are noisy when they are struck and the chains absorb some of the vibrations, making it quieter (but not actually quiet). They fashioned a variety of objects for sale and for fun.
They even had a small anvil with lumps of putty and a rubber mallet for kids to practice their smithy skills. My daughter loved working on it (which is why I had a chance to talk to the blacksmith).
Another shed hosted an auction but we were not in the market for anything but lunch.
We took the tractor back to the farm museum entrance where we saw a hay baling set up that was going to be used later in the day.
Another machine made logs into shingles. That also wasn't used till later, which probably saved us from buying any shingles.
In a nearby field, the Maryland High School Rodeo Association had demonstrations. We missed the horse-riding performances but did see some fancy lasso work.
We bought another snack and heard a bit of the Southwest Bluegrass Band playing at an outdoor stage.
The visit to the museum was informative and fun. We'll drag the rest of the family out next year!
Next door to the construction site was the milking barn.
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| Fake cow |
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| Where the people worked milking cows |
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| More of the barn |
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| Milk delivery |
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| My favorite dairy delivery devices |
Another shed had a pair of blacksmiths making products and showing off skills.
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| The Blacksmiths |
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| Hard at work |
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| Heating up the iron |
Talking with the blacksmith was enlightening. I noticed that the anvils were chained down to their posts. The smith explained the chains serve two purposes. First, they keep the anvil from shifting around. When struck with a hammer they have a tendency to move, so the anvils need to be stabilized to make work easier. Second, the anvils are noisy when they are struck and the chains absorb some of the vibrations, making it quieter (but not actually quiet). They fashioned a variety of objects for sale and for fun.
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| Hooks and things for sale |
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| Various tools |
They even had a small anvil with lumps of putty and a rubber mallet for kids to practice their smithy skills. My daughter loved working on it (which is why I had a chance to talk to the blacksmith).
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| Getting a piece to work with |
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| Hammer time! |
Another shed hosted an auction but we were not in the market for anything but lunch.
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| Auction |
We took the tractor back to the farm museum entrance where we saw a hay baling set up that was going to be used later in the day.
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| Silly face on the ride |
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| Even sillier |
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| Hay baling equipment |
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| Checking out the hay |
Another machine made logs into shingles. That also wasn't used till later, which probably saved us from buying any shingles.
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| Shingle shaver |
In a nearby field, the Maryland High School Rodeo Association had demonstrations. We missed the horse-riding performances but did see some fancy lasso work.
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| Rodeo sign! |
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| Roping a practice bull |
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| More roping action |
We bought another snack and heard a bit of the Southwest Bluegrass Band playing at an outdoor stage.
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| Southwest Bluegrass |
The visit to the museum was informative and fun. We'll drag the rest of the family out next year!
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