The Old Thresher Granary
Town of Chemung, NY
The Walnut Row Farm on Rotary Road in the Town of Chemung is owned by Linda and the late Jack Freeman. Over 165 years, this old farm has kept a valuable piece of history tucked away in an old shed and it is now on it’s way to be preserved for many years to come.
The Farm can be located on an 1853 map of the town and at that time was owned by W. Jackson who also owned a sawmill on the same property located on Wynkoop Creek. The property changed hands and the 1869 map showed the property owner as J. Rogers. The saw mill was still on the creek at that time. George M. Straitor owned the property on the 1904 map of the town. The property changed hands again to Manley Bangs and then to the Freeman’s 51 years ago.
A thresher granary was housed in an old farm building, complete with an office. A professor from Cornell University on a visit here several years ago called it a thresher granary, for a better name. Many people called it a mill, but nothing was ever milled here. People would bring their grain still husked, where the thresher would break and shake away the hull. The grain could then be bagged. It was quite an operation, powered by a large hit and miss engine. Prior to the invention of the hit and miss engine we use our imagination as to what powered the thresher, whether it was animals or steam power. Wooden towers built below the floor level and up to the ceiling carried metal cups on belts, moving the grain from one step to the next. Old wooden pulleys ran the belts. Wooden paddles and a giant hopper with a sifter located inside helped to process the grain. Farmers would pick up their processed grain in large sacks that were placed in an extra-large grain bin. A sign on the wall read: “Terms Cash”. Gone now, a platform once extended from the building for loading the grain sacks onto horse drawn wagons.
Bradford County Heritage Association curators of the Heritage Village and Farm Museum in Troy, PA will provide a new home for this mid-19th century piece of equipment. Linda is donating the thresher granary to the Museum in the memory of her and her husband. Although the building which was built around this equipment to accommodate the operation, will not be moved, the thresher has been dismantled and transported to the Heritage Village and Farm Museum where it will be reassembled. Future generations will be able to view this large piece of equipment and marvel at the ingenuity of past times. What is amazing is how well preserved the wooden structure is for it’s age.
Robert Hurlbut, a neighbor and friend of the Freemans recalls a gentleman telling how wagons were lined alongside the road in the fall, where local residents would wait their turn to have their apples pressed for cider. A large apple press was located on the outside of the building running off a jack shaft and powered by a hit and miss engine. The pullies on the shaft were built of wood and square nails, nearly standing the test of time.
Tuesday, the 26th of June, the structure was dismantled in a matter of four hours with the help of four members from the Bradford County Heritage Association and two volunteers from the Town of Chemung. Reassembling it will take extensive time at the Museum. Linda Freeman mentioned how pleased she is to donate the thresher granary. It is something she and her husband wanted to do for many years but just could not find a museum that was willing to take it until now, where it will be preserved for generations to come.
Mary Ellen P. Kunst, Historian, Town of Chemung
The Farm can be located on an 1853 map of the town and at that time was owned by W. Jackson who also owned a sawmill on the same property located on Wynkoop Creek. The property changed hands and the 1869 map showed the property owner as J. Rogers. The saw mill was still on the creek at that time. George M. Straitor owned the property on the 1904 map of the town. The property changed hands again to Manley Bangs and then to the Freeman’s 51 years ago.
A thresher granary was housed in an old farm building, complete with an office. A professor from Cornell University on a visit here several years ago called it a thresher granary, for a better name. Many people called it a mill, but nothing was ever milled here. People would bring their grain still husked, where the thresher would break and shake away the hull. The grain could then be bagged. It was quite an operation, powered by a large hit and miss engine. Prior to the invention of the hit and miss engine we use our imagination as to what powered the thresher, whether it was animals or steam power. Wooden towers built below the floor level and up to the ceiling carried metal cups on belts, moving the grain from one step to the next. Old wooden pulleys ran the belts. Wooden paddles and a giant hopper with a sifter located inside helped to process the grain. Farmers would pick up their processed grain in large sacks that were placed in an extra-large grain bin. A sign on the wall read: “Terms Cash”. Gone now, a platform once extended from the building for loading the grain sacks onto horse drawn wagons.
Bradford County Heritage Association curators of the Heritage Village and Farm Museum in Troy, PA will provide a new home for this mid-19th century piece of equipment. Linda is donating the thresher granary to the Museum in the memory of her and her husband. Although the building which was built around this equipment to accommodate the operation, will not be moved, the thresher has been dismantled and transported to the Heritage Village and Farm Museum where it will be reassembled. Future generations will be able to view this large piece of equipment and marvel at the ingenuity of past times. What is amazing is how well preserved the wooden structure is for it’s age.
Robert Hurlbut, a neighbor and friend of the Freemans recalls a gentleman telling how wagons were lined alongside the road in the fall, where local residents would wait their turn to have their apples pressed for cider. A large apple press was located on the outside of the building running off a jack shaft and powered by a hit and miss engine. The pullies on the shaft were built of wood and square nails, nearly standing the test of time.
Tuesday, the 26th of June, the structure was dismantled in a matter of four hours with the help of four members from the Bradford County Heritage Association and two volunteers from the Town of Chemung. Reassembling it will take extensive time at the Museum. Linda Freeman mentioned how pleased she is to donate the thresher granary. It is something she and her husband wanted to do for many years but just could not find a museum that was willing to take it until now, where it will be preserved for generations to come.
Mary Ellen P. Kunst, Historian, Town of Chemung
The Old Thresher Granary, in it's original location on the Freeman Farm, Walnut Row Farm
First step of preservation is identifying the object and next step is assessing it's historical significance.
Dissassembling and Moving the Thresher Granary to a New Location where it will be Preserved, to The Bradford County Heritage Association, Heritage Village and Farm Museum, Troy, PA
Reassembly and Display of the Thresher Granary at it's new location, The Bradford County Heritage Association Heritage Village and Farm Museum, Troy, PA
Reconstructing the Granary at the Museum
Please be sure to check back periodically for photos and updates
on the preservation of this wonderful piece of history!
on the preservation of this wonderful piece of history!