Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:36 — 15.9MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

It’s “Staycation Destinations” on Family Life

“Staycation Destinations” takes you to a museum which celebrates how a water-powered sawmill fostered a transformation of America.

The Hanford Mills Museum in Delaware County New York displays a still-operating waterwheel that powered the mill’s equipment. Education Coordinator Ryan Jones tells us about how economic, geographic and social history has been affected by the way that farmstead were built from the abundant wood in the forests of the region. The Hanford Family was a major player in the industry through a 40-year span.

The Hanford Mills Museum shows its guests the Fitz waterwheel — working exactly as it did when it was installed 98 years ago — during four daily one-hour tours. Also on display: woodworking machinery, milling equipment, photos and historical records, and farm implements from the 1870s to the present. Individuals and families can walk to several buildings across the property, as well as take advantage of an outdoor picnic area.

In addition to its ongoing exhibits (open Wednesdays through Sundays), Hanford Mills offers Exploration Days on selected Saturdays (https://www.hanfordmills.org/events/) with themes like New York’s dairy industry, conservation of natural resources, and the annual Antique Engine Jamboree.