At Howell Living History Farm Assistant Farm Director Kevin Watson prepares to head out to the fields with Howell Farm horses. PHOTO | Christopher Patti
In March of 1974, Mrs. Inez Howell wrote to Mercer County, donating her 126 acre farm in memory of her husband and requesting it be used to educate future generations.
Mrs. Howell wrote, “I am offering the farm as a gift to Mercer County in memory of Charley. To be used as a Living History Farm, where the way of living in its early days could not only be seen but actually tried by the public, especially children…A farm has always been a great place for exploring.”
Open every Saturday from 10am-4pm, the public can visit The Howell Living History Farm in Hopewell Township free of charge and experience a typical day on the farm in the time period of 1890-1910. A facility of the Mercer County Parks Commission, the farm is now 289 years old and has been active since 1733. Mrs. Howell’s letter would become a mission statement for its staff and volunteers.
Director of Howell Farm Peter Watson said, “She just thought that growing up on a farm gave her things, insights, and tools that made her life all the better and made her a better member of the community. She was very committed to the idea of sharing our county’s rural history with people in the present and future and she just wanted a place where anybody could go and learn about the crops and the livestock and the life ways that were part of our county’s past.”
This vision of experiential learning called staff and volunteers to specialize in third person interpretation, dressing in historically accurate clothing and using period tools for tasks like spinning wool, maple sugaring, crop harvesting, sawmilling and tree planting.
Assistant Director of Howell Living History Farm Kevin Watson said, “Some people would use the term reenactment to describe what they would do at say Colonial Williamsburg or a place that gets in character as historical figures. But what we’re doing is bringing that period to life but inviting members of the public to come and experience it rather than just watch it.”
Visitors can tour the area and take in the scenery or participate in events like getting behind a horse-drawn plowshare or harvesting oats and learning how to make oatmeal.
Crop and Livestock Specialist Katelyn Pogue said, “Historically you would have been kind of a master of all trades. You would have known everything about any animal and you would have known how to make anything from scratch. That’s one thing I really love about historic farming specifically and also being able to teach the public all those skills.”
Longtime volunteer and historian Larry Kidder said, “You can kind of make your own program based on a number of things the farm has put in place for you to choose from. You can get involved in some activity that’s going to teach you a skill that’s going to allow you to practice a skill, that’s going to allow introduce something to you you never heard of or thought of before and it’s going to be done in a way that is extremely friendly and relaxed…it’s more like visiting a family farm than visiting an institution.”
The family aspect is heavily present in the farm’s active community. Volunteer groups, like The Friends of Howell Farm, provide nearly 15,000 hours annually of donated volunteer time, including fundraisers for acquiring antique tools, buying a new cow or providing trade skills that repair and preserve equipment and structures.
Director of Howell Farm Peter Watson said, “It’s community spirit that leads members of the community to get involved…the expertise that they bring is spread out over many different areas that are all important to our operation. It just enables us to do a much better job of farming and research into the history and then presenting education and experiential programs to visitors.”
During COVID, the Howell Living History Farm received the Excellence in Educational and Interpretive Programming award for their 2020 Share the Harvest Program, which provided food and produce to county shelters.
County Executive Brian Hughes said via email, “Howell Farm also produces crops to help feed Mercer County residents in need through local food banks and pantries, and the coronavirus pandemic made that role even more vital. The farm also provides eggs, whole wheat flour, cornmeal and oatmeal to food banks and pantries. I applaud the farm’s staff and volunteers for the tremendous work they’ve done and continue to do to support our community.”
This April, visitors can help plant potatoes, learn about plowing and harrowing and make feed for chickens and maybe even meet their baby chicks. Take part in any of these moments and you’ll get an idea of what Mrs. Howell meant.
Peter Watson adds, “Here’s a generous woman who wanted to give this farm so that people could experience things that would be important to them. And I feel like all of us who work here have that responsibility. And it’s a nice responsibility to have.”
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You can find more information about The Howell Living History Farm and its events at howellfarm.org.
