Western Travel - Heritage Farmstead Museum (Part Twenty) - Plano, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Last week we went inside the one-room school house on the property of the Farrell-Wilson House. Today we'll visit some of the animals on the farm.

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Aimee Wilson was a champion sheep raiser and won several awards for her sheep. The sheep currently living on the farm are similar to those that would have lived here during that time. (Just FYI - they do not offer a petting barn/zoo or the ability to feed these animals during your visit).

 
Big pigs (who really do oink and wallow in mud).

 
One rooster and many chickens.


A guinea fowl perched on a railing. Messy, aggressive birds.


And finally a burrow.

Learn more by checking out the official site - www.heritagefarmstead.org/

boy's Heritage Farmstead Museum Physical Address: 1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 Phone Number: 972-881-0140 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: $3.00 per person (ages 3 and up) + $4 for tour of house

Photo Credit of Staged School Room - https://www.heritagefarmstead.org

Western Travel - Heritage Farmstead Museum (Part Nineteen) - Plano, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Last week we saw the barn outside the Farrell-Wilson House. Today we'll take a look at the small schoolhouse on the property.



Outside view of the one-room schoolhouse. At the time I visited, it was being partially used as holiday decoration storage.


Overall view of the inside of the school. As with most schools during this time period, it appears to have been shared with Sunday church meetings (notice the organ in the front corner). And it also features the standard central coal-burning heating stove.


A closer look at the stove set on a small riser. It's rather small - large enough to boil a single pot of coffee. The coal bucket and shovel rest in front of it.


A rack to hold the children's hats.


A close-up of the organ at the front of the room.

Learn more by checking out the official site - www.heritagefarmstead.org/

boy's Heritage Farmstead Museum Physical Address: 1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 Phone Number: 972-881-0140 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: $3.00 per person (ages 3 and up) + $4 for tour of house

Photo Credit of Staged School Room - https://www.heritagefarmstead.org

Western Travel - Heritage Farmstead Museum (Part Eighteen) - Plano, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Last week we visited the Curing Shed outside the Farrell-Wilson House. Today we'll continue our walk outside.


Here's a view of the yard behind the main house. Across the way you can see the Young House (more on that in another post). To the left sits the large pole barn. According to the website, the wood on the barn comes from bois d'arc trees from the Red River area. It originally held animals, tools/machinery, and a hammer mill for grinding. A concrete floor was added and now it's used for party/group rentals.


A side view of the barn and the animal pen attached to the back. The wagon and shovel are modern but the wood pile is old-fashioned.


Close-up of the barn's side. The lamp is modern. I took this photo to show the construction of the posts (on the left side) and how they were fitted together. This might be reproduction as opposed to original.


This little cart was stored back in the wagon/carriage house. Barely room for 2 on the narrow seat. It would have been hooked up to a horse harness.

Learn more by checking out the official site - www.heritagefarmstead.org/

boy's Heritage Farmstead Museum Physical Address: 1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 Phone Number: 972-881-0140 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: $3.00 per person (ages 3 and up) + $4 for tour of house

Reference: https://www.heritagefarmstead.org/farrell-wilson-house-outbuildings/

Western Travel - Heritage Farmstead Museum (Part Seventeen) - Plano, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Last week detoured outside the Farrell-Wilson House onto the back porch. Today we'll peek inside the curing shed.

 
The Curing Shed was a vital part of the farm as it was where the family would cure (or preserve) the meat that was butchered so that it would store well and feed the family when food wasn't readily available (like during the winter months).

 
The butchered meat would usually be preserved in salt. Here was a large salt vat where the meat would be covered, stuffed into a canvas bad and then hung up to dry. Some farms used the smoking method to preserve and dry their meats or a combination of both.


In this photograph, we can see how the bagged meat would hang from the rafters to cure.


In this photograph, you can see the making of sausages - the metal hand-cranked meat grinder and then the wrapped meat rolls.

 
Photographs of the various tools that were found in the shed or stored in this shed.

Learn more by checking out the official site - www.heritagefarmstead.org/

boy's Heritage Farmstead Museum Physical Address: 1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 Phone Number: 972-881-0140 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: $3.00 per person (ages 3 and up) + $4 for tour of house

Photo Credit of Curing Shed - https://www.heritagefarmstead.org

Western Travel - Heritage Farmstead Museum (Part Sixteen) - Plano, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Last week we viewed some old-fashioned irons and a washing machine. Today we're going to continue our tour outside the Farrell-Wilson House.

 
On the back porch of the house, a large battery-powered generator was installed to keep the electricity in the house running during outages. As you can see, it required a lot of batteries to run. (Compare it to the modern-day battery attached to it now.)

 
Last week we saw the old-fashioned "washing machine" (two buckets) which would have required manual scrubbing using a washboard. Compare that to the newer version of the "washing machine" - a barrel that was electrically agitated.


A water pump and several types of buckets/tubs.


A small water tower.

Learn more by checking out the official site - www.heritagefarmstead.org/

boy's Heritage Farmstead Museum Physical Address: 1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 Phone Number: 972-881-0140 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: $3.00 per person (ages 3 and up) + $4 for tour of house

Western Travel - Heritage Farmstead Museum (Part Fourteen) - Plano, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Last week we stopped in the downstairs Dining Room of the Farrell-Wilson House. Today we're going into the Bathroom.


This photograph from the Heritage Farmstead museum depicts the indoor bathrooms (installed in 1905) - something reserved for the wealthy at this time. What a showplace this must have been with indoor plumbing then later electricity. Look at that pretty peacock blue and green wallpaper! Notice the flushing mechanism on the toilet isn't quite modern (the handle is in an awkward place at seat-level).


A close-up of the porcelain bathtub and a few knickknacks along the window ledge.


On the opposite side of the bathroom, a tall changing box was set up (with a few period-style clothing pieces hanging from the top). A small round table and plush chair sits against the back wall for makeup application. A more modern curling iron (with plug) sits on the table top. Good view of the black and white floor tiles.

Learn more by checking out the official site - www.heritagefarmstead.org/

boy's Heritage Farmstead Museum Physical Address: 1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 Phone Number: 972-881-0140 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: $3.00 per person (ages 3 and up) + $4 for tour of house

Photo Credit of Staged Bathroom - https://www.heritagefarmstead.org

Western Travel - Heritage Farmstead Museum (Part Thirteen) - Plano, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Last week we stopped in the downstairs kitchen of the Farrell-Wilson House. Today we're going into the Dining Room.


Next to the Kitchen is the Dining Room. The dinner setting changes throughout the year/seasons. This photograph from the Heritage Farmstead museum features the more formal dinner settings.


When I visited, they had the unique pressed pattern glass (also known as Depression Glass for the era it was produced). Note the highchair in the back corner (with the glass of milk).


A mannequin wearing sack dress and white apron. Note the electric globe lights overhead.


Along the wall is the china cabinet that is filled with antique Chelsea Blue Grape semi-porcelain dinnerware from the early 1900s and a few pieces of other blue-white china.


A blurry photograph of the corner fireplace and mantel clock.

Learn more by checking out the official site - www.heritagefarmstead.org/

boy's Heritage Farmstead Museum Physical Address: 1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 Phone Number: 972-881-0140 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: $3.00 per person (ages 3 and up) + $4 for tour of house

Photo Credit of Staged Boy's Bedroom - https://www.heritagefarmstead.org

Western Travel - Heritage Farmstead Museum (Part Twelve) - Plano, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Last week we stopped in the downstairs Master Bedroom/Sewing Room of the Farrell-Wilson House. Today we're heading back to the kitchen.


Staged photo of the Kitchen in the very back of the house.


When you step into the kitchen from the main hallway, immediately to your right sits the giant cast iron stove with metal exhaust pipe (just out of view on the right). There was a "warming oven" built in. We were informed that during the summer, cooking was most likely done outside due to the extreme heat and fire danger conditions inside. You can see the wide range of cast iron enamelware pots and different metal utensils.


A close-up of the stove top - note the steam vent on the enamel-ware pot. There's also an iron that would be heating on the stove. Since this was a wealthy family, they probably had a servant to wash and iron the clothes and a cook to make the food.


Another close-up of the items on the stove. Take a look at that interesting "Bake-o-Meter" porcelain thermometer. Right in the middle of the back is the exhaust vent pipe.


The built-in kitchen sink was installed about 1905 (along with other indoor plumbing features which we'll see later).


Right above the sink are the electric wires that were installed after 1915. At this time, people believed that wires inside the walls would overheat and cause fires so they had them installed on top of the walls.


The prep table complete with typical period tools and foods. Note the food pantry or pie safe in the back and the baby high chair to the right.


Another pantry storage cabinet and food prep station.


A very rarely seen artifact - the sign for the milk delivery (the amount pertains to their current needs). It's not often you find those hanging in windows so this is a nice treasure indeed! The stairs lead up to the small second story office (with the saddles and game table).

Learn more by checking out the official site - www.heritagefarmstead.org/

boy's Heritage Farmstead Museum Physical Address: 1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 Phone Number: 972-881-0140 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: $3.00 per person (ages 3 and up) + $4 for tour of house

Photo Credit of Staged Boy's Bedroom - https://www.heritagefarmstead.org

Western Travel - Heritage Farmstead Museum (Part Eleven) - Plano, Texas - #TravelTuesday

Welcome to my weekly column #TravelTuesday featuring places I've discovered during my research trips or just wandering around in historical areas. I hope you enjoy my discoveries.

Last week we stopped in the upstairs girls' bedroom of the Farrell-Wilson House. Today we're heading back downstairs to the Master Bedroom/Sewing Room.


The doorway leads right into the large wooden bed covered with a beautifully detailed coverlet. In front of the bed is a settee propped with quilt rings/flowers. Next to the bed is a small, wooden baby crib. On the floor rests the chamber pot (for those pre-indoor-restroom days).


A better view of the baby crib which actually looks pretty small and easy to climb out of, so we have to assume toddlers didn't sleep in there. You can also see the long, sheer curtains.


Along the wall is the sewing table complete with bobbins and old-fashioned sewing machine, a pin cushion in the far back, and the woven cane chair.


A closer look at the sewing machine.


And the ever-popular sack dress on a thin-waist mannequin.


A close-up of the dresser top - note the makeup set and matching brush and the assorted hat pins.

Learn more by checking out the official site - www.heritagefarmstead.org/

boy's Heritage Farmstead Museum Physical Address: 1900 West 15th Street, Plano, Texas 75075 Phone Number: 972-881-0140 Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission: $3.00 per person (ages 3 and up) + $4 for tour of house

Photo Credit of Staged Boy's Bedroom - https://www.heritagefarmstead.org