The Farmers’ Museum

  • Admission

    Adults (13-64): $15.00
    Seniors (65+): $12.50
    Juniors (7-12): $6.00
    Children (6 and under): FREE
    Museum members: FREE
    Admission is always FREE for active military and retired career military personnel.

    TWO-WAY TICKETS with FENIMORE ART MUSEUM
    Adults (20-64) $25.00
    Seniors (65+) $22.50

    Tickets only available at the door. No online tickets sold.

  • Hours of Operation

    April 1 – May 6
    Open Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 am–4:00 pm Closed Mondays.
    Museum Store open 11:00 am–4:00 pm. Closed Mondays.

    May 7 – October 10
    Open Daily, 10:00 am–5:00 pm
    Museum Store: open daily, 11:00 am–5:00 pm
    Crossroads Cafe: open daily 11:00 am–4:00 pm

    October 11 – October 31
    Open Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 am–4:00 pm. Closed Mondays.
    Museum Store: open 11:00 am–4:00 pm. Closed Mondays.
    Crossroads Cafe: Closed

    November – March
    Closed for winter except for special programs and events.
    Museum Store: The Farmers’ Museum Store has everything you need when shopping for the Holidays!
    11/1-11/24: open Tuesday-Sunday, 11:00am-4:00pm (closed Mondays and Thanksgiving Day)
    11/26-12/24 (Holiday Hours): open daily, 11:00am-4:00pm

  • Weather

    COOPERSTOWN WEATHER

The Farmers’ Museum

As one of the oldest rural life museums in the country, The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, New York, provides visitors with a unique opportunity to experience 19th-century rural and village life first-hand through authentic demonstrations and interpretative exhibits.

The museum, founded in 1943, comprises a Colonial Revival stone barn listed on the National Register for Historic Places, a recreated historic village circa 1845, the Empire State Carousel, and a working farmstead. Through its 19th-century village and farm, the museum preserves important examples of upstate New York architecture, early agricultural tools and equipment, and heritage livestock. The Farmers’ Museum’s outstanding collection of more than 23,000 items encompasses significant historic objects ranging from butter molds to carriages, and hand planes to plows. The museum also presents a broad range of interactive educational programs for school groups, families, and adults that explore and preserve the rich agricultural history of the region.

History

The site of The Farmers’ Museum has deep roots in New York State’s rural past. The land has been part of a working farm since 1813, when it was owned by James Fenimore Cooper. Judge Samuel Nelson, whose office is part of The Farmers’ Museum Village, bought the farm in 1829 and raised sheep. Fenimore Farm, as it came to be known, changed hands again in the 1870s, when it was acquired by the Clark family.

In 1918, Edward Severin Clark built a showcase complex at Fenimore Farm for his prize herd of cattle. The barn, creamery, and herdsman’s cottage designed by architect Frank Whiting in the Colonial Revival style and constructed of local stone still stand today and are an integral part of the museum. Today, they house museum offices, exhibition spaces, and public areas. The structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Farmers’ Museum opened its doors to the public in 1944. At that time, the museum had 5,000 tools and objects, including important collections amassed by the Otsego County Historical Society; William B. Sprague, founder of the Early American Industries Association; and the Wyckoff family, one of Brooklyn’s oldest farming families. Today the museum’s collections number more than 23,000 artifacts.

The Farmers’ Museum is a private, non-governmental educational organization. It is closely affiliated with its sister organization, Fenimore Art Museum.

Events

Antique Tractors and More During Tractor Fest at The Farmers’ Museum

Antique Tractors and More During Tractor Fest at The Farmers’ Museum

October 12, 2024 - October 13, 2024    
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Learn about the world of tractors and everything they powered on New York State farms at The Farmers’ Museum’s annual Tractor Fest.
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