I always enjoy visiting living history museums. When I recently visited Corning, New York, this small but mighty museum was humming with fourth graders.
A knowledgeable docent, Norma Bird, showed me around the museum grounds in the city of just over 10,000.
Our first stop was the Painted Post Tavern, built in 1796. Benjamin Patterson and his wife, Sarah, were the first Innkeepers.
It is the oldest tavern in the "Lands of the Painted Post." Originally located on Williamson Road, now Route 15, along with the Chemung River, allowed settlers to buy land in this region.
The Pattersons welcomed the weary travelers with a place to sleep and a hot meal.
The impressive building includes the Tap Room, where guests socialized and conducted business, and a dining room, where meals were served from the kitchen, with a working open-hearth fireplace.
This day, a costumed docent teaches children about life in the wilderness and how the inn served its guests.
Upstairs is the Long Room, originally a meeting room or ballroom, now housing a collection of textile equipment. Also on the second floor are guest quarters, portrayed c1800, when you paid for bed space, not a room, and the Patterson's Quarters, where the innkeeper's family lived.
We continue the tour in the Browntown Schoolhouse, which was built in nearby Caton, NY, in 1878. Teachers and students used the school until 1955, when kindergarten through eighth grade were taught in the same room.
There are three groups of children. One is at the blackboard with the teacher, a second is at the back of the massive room, and the third is learning how to write with a quill pen.
Next door, at the blacksmith shop, two men are discussing tools, getting ready for the children to learn about the blacksmith's importance.
Norma explains that blacksmiths made horse shoes, wagon wheel frames, household items, and decorative ware.
The circa 1870 farm blacksmith shop was initially located on Cooley Road outside of Beaver Dams, NY, where it served the local farming community for many years. The shop was operated by the Cooley family and located on their farm. The wooden firebox surrounding the forge has the name Cooley carved into it.
The Heritage Village cabin was built in Campbell, NY, circa 1855. The owners, the Mack family of five, were subsistence farmers.
The barn skeleton dates to the early nineteenth century. Initially located near Canandaigua, NY, it was relocated to the museum in 1980.
The barn houses an interactive exhibit perfect for all ages. When Norma and I entered, students were learning about a specific kind of saw. Joiner's Shop, or Carpenter's Shop, is located at the end of the Barn.
The shop is supplied with tools from the collection of Jacob Dorn, who operated a shop in Phelps, NY—the workbenches date to the late nineteenth century.
On our way back to the office and gift shop, where handcrafted items are sold, we pass by two volunteers tending the garden.
It is easy to understand why the museum is so popular with tourists and schoolchildren. There are many local history lessons to experience and learn from.
The museum is located at 73 West Pulteney Street in Corning and is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tours are offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at noon.
For more information, click here.
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