Step back in time at the Buckeye Agricultural Museum
The Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center recently held its annual meeting and open house. Along with a typical slate of business, tour coordinator Ally Brown gave a presentation highlighting the 2024 educational goals and accomplishments.
Dan Starcher
In a period when technological advances overshadow historical farming practices, the Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center steps back in time to illustrate the transition of Ohio land from wilderness to farmland and serve as the custodian of Wayne County’s agricultural past.
During a recent annual meeting and open house, the board of directors showcased some of the improvements made in 2024 and discussed upcoming projects that will take place in 2025 at the museum.
According to Tom Stocksdale, board member and treasurer, the museum is proud of its educational offerings and the fourth grade student tours it hosts.
“It is a humbling experience for people to come in and see what life used to be like when people started from absolutely nothing; it was hard work,” he said. “We set up the museum for the fourth grade students to experience what a day was like for children their age. They participate in wood cutting, milking cows and doing chores. They are in awe, and a lot of them want to come back with their family.”
The museum is more than a collection of farm machinery and implements; its volunteers weave narratives of farmers and families that have shaped Wayne County and create a personal connection with the area’s history.
Ally Brown, the tour coordinator for the fourth grade students, discussed the reactions she had seen from some of the nearly 200 children she brought through the museum in 2024 for the state-approved curriculum tour.
“The best feedback we can get is from the students that participated in the tours,” Brown said. “Northwestern students sent us thank-you letters describing their favorite part of the tour.”
Reading from the letters, Brown outlined the parts of the tour that stood out for the children, like shucking corn, milking cows and shopping at a general store from the 1800s.
In addition to preserving Wayne County’s agricultural history, the museum features an artwork gallery of paintings and photographs, a board room, and a gift shop.
To learn more about the museum, visit buckeyeagriculturalmuseum.com.
Dan Starcher is the public communications coordinator for Wayne County.
