Come oh come ye tea-thirsty restless ones -- the kettle boils, bubbles and sings, musically. ~ Rabindranath Tagore
Good evening, Kibitzers! I am filling in for side pocket, who has guests today. This is a good chance to do a two-part series, with the second part appearing on Tuesday. During the first weekend in April, when my brother and his family were visiting, we spent an afternoon at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morris Township, NJ, and I have too many photos for just one diary.
Fosterfields took on its current form in the mid-1800s, when a grandson of Paul Revere bought the land and built the Gothic Revival house that still stands. Charles Foster bought (and named) the place in 1881. His daughter Caroline bequeathed it to the Morris County Parks Commission in 1979, at her death at age 102. (More about Caroline in part 2!) She wanted it to be preserved as a farm, and to be operated as it had been at the turn of the 20th century, so that visitors could continue to see the farm as she remembered it.
The weekend we visited, the farm had just opened to visitors for the season. It was pretty quiet, and our timing was bad for one of the house tours, but there was still plenty to see. Throughout the year, one can see baby farm animals, and demonstrations of various farm and household chores as they'd have been done in the time being re-enacted. (This writeup has a little more detail about what goes on. And if my photos aren't enough for you, the farm has a Flickr page.)
Photos are below, and part 2, about the place Caroline Foster carved out for herself, will appear Tuesday.
The carriage house holds not only carriages, but cars.
silks' fave, the 1929 Hupmobile:
But really, everyone likes animals best, right?
I just could not get this turkey not to hide his face on me.
There are two of these beautiful draft horses.
And in the dairy barn, there are plenty of cows.
And, outside the carriage house, there was a lovely old Ford tractor set up so that anyone could climb to the seat and pretend to drive it!
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