Workshop

The Workshop exemplifies the resourcefulness essential to 19th-century farm life. Farmers, adhering to the adage "Make do or do without," relied on such spaces to perform immediate repairs and fabricate necessary tools, minimizing dependence on distant town services.

Within this setting, a farmer would re-shoe horses, mend broken tool handles, and address various equipment repairs, ensuring minimal disruption to daily agricultural activities. This autonomy was vital for maintaining productivity and managing the diverse challenges of farm life.

In the future, the Workshop will feature tools for coopering—the craft of barrel making and repair. Given the Realy family's operation of a Cider Mill, maintaining barrels was crucial for storage and transportation. Coopers utilized specialized tools such as the croze, a device for cutting grooves into barrel staves, and various planes and drawknives to shape wood precisely.

By equipping the Workshop with these traditional tools, the museum aims to provide visitors with insights into the skills and ingenuity that underpinned 19th-century farming communities, highlighting the essential role of self-sufficiency in their daily lives.