The heart of the farm is the barn.
So it’s good to be able to report that the historic heart of Pomeroy Living History Farm, raised circa 1930, has been partially renovated in recent months. A couple of walls and support beams were replaced. That was long overdue, according to Pomeroy marketing coordinator Maura Todd.
The original barn was “built in mishmash ways” by the families who settled this land and used whatever materials were at hand, she said. “It’s held up really well, considering how old it is, but it needs fixing of different kinds, in different places.”
Fixing, sure, but not too much fixing. Since the barn’s rough, handmade quality is an authentic part of its history, contractor Tapio Construction was obliged to reproduce it, so paid careful attention to the places where barn walls are supposed to touch the ground — because sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.
“The wall bottoms are jagged, not straight. They were saw cut by hand,” Todd said.
If You Go
• What: Country Life Fair, herb and plant sale.
• When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 29; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 30.
• Where:Pomeroy Living History Farm, 20902 N.E. Lucia Falls Road, Yacolt.
• Admission: Free; donations accepted.
• On the web: www.pomeroyfarm.org
Walls that don’t meet floors sound worrisome, but the barn itself is structurally sound, she added — and that’s the point, since it’s not just a piece of history but also a large, busy, working building. Herds of goats and sheep still live in it, she said, and herds of elementary school students pass through it every spring and fall.
Students who visit Pomeroy Living History Farm on field trips throughout May and early June will get a taste of what it was like for children to live and work on what’s appropriately called a “pre-electrical” farm — their mandatory work and homemade play at a time when mice were cupboard nuisances, not something to click.
Is it even possible for the cyber-beings known as today’s children to fathom physical labor such as milking cows, churning butter, washing clothes, grinding corn and feeding chickens?
“We teach them about doing chores and making chores fun,” just as children had to a century ago, Todd said. “It’s fun to shed that kind of light. But it’s also crazy to think about how much things have changed.”
Some young visitors are thoroughly repelled by the hardships their ancestors endured, she said. But others cannot wait to get their hands dirty and their muscles tired.
Live the life
Want to give all that a try, and help it along too? This weekend, Pomeroy Farm hosts its annual Country Life Fair and herb and plant sale. It’s a chance to step back in time for an afternoon while raising funds for those school programs.
Country life demonstrators will show off vintage skills such as blacksmithing and tinsmithing, bow-making and fly-tying. Kids will enjoy getting their Country Life Passport stamped as they complete various activities and pick up a small prize. Meanwhile those barn occupants will be eager to socialize, and the historic 1920s log house of the original Pomeroy family will be open for tours.
All of that is free; hay rides will be available for a small fee.
The fundraiser for Pomeroy’s school programs is its annual sale of thousands of herbs and plants, including organic vegetables. Plus, many local vendors will be on selling handcrafted wares such as jewelry and trinkets, pottery and local honey from local bees.
The Country Life Fair runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 29 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 30. Admission is free.
