Zippo/Case Museum

Bradford, PA
Woodhaven Acres

Yesterday we left Richfield Springs, New York in the morning.  It started sprinkling a couple of hours later but it didn't get windy and it didn't rain hard.  We didn't have reservations and every time I suggested we find a RV park, Bill said he was fine.  We ended up driving all the way to Bradford.  Lucky for us we got the last site here.  Notice I don't drive on those days were visibility is bad.  

The park only have 30 sites and I'm sure they never have any rigs as tall as us.  I understand we're in the forest, but someone needs to trim the trees along the road.  

I thought Bill would enjoy the Case Knives so we headed over to the Zippo/Case Museum today.  It took us a lot longer as there is a bridge on highway 770 being repaired and we had to take a long detour.  

I loved the museum already and we haven't even entered yet.  Even the light poles look like lighters.

Bill loved the Zippo Chrysler that was sitting outside.

Now if you're a regular blog reader, you know we love visiting museums.  This one is a must see.  Did I mention that is free, except for your purchases in the gift shop?

We enjoyed the video on the history of the Zippo lighter and the Case Cutlery.  Can you imagine starting a business during the depression?

How about having a lifetime guarantee on your product?  It's still the same today as when George Blaisdell began the business.

A Zippo lighter has the windproof shield and stricker like this.  These were everywhere and when you moved it, there were examples of lighters made during a certain time period.

There were stories about the lighters.  One of those stories told of a man being shot during the war.  The bullet hit his lighter and left him uninjured. 

The military was very important to Zippo.  Special lighters were sent out to important military personnel.  Ernie Pyle was sent regular shipments of lighters to hand out to the GI's. 

There were copies of letters that were received from people that had received a gift of a lighter.

I remember all the advertising about Zippo's.  My Dad had  Zippo's with all the squadron insignia's.  

  During the war, Zippo quit production of the lighters to the general public and just made lighters for the military personnel.  

The museum was like walking through the history of the United States.  There was a lighter made for every important event or person.

These lighters show the condition that some are returned to the factory.

It was lunch time, but you can see all the baskets for the post office.  The number one problem with the old lighters were the hinge.  

There was also a video on how Case knives are made.  

Case had a large collection of their knives.

It's amazing how many different styles of cutlery there are.

They did also make military knives.

This lighter was the 500 millionth lighter produced.  June 5, was the birthday of founder George Blaisdell and the anniversary of 500,000,000 lighters in 2012.  Did I get the right number of zeros?

I was surprised that Canada has a plant in Niagara Falls.  I also learned all the many different countries in the world that now manufacture Zippo lighters.

This maze had a lighter that opened, a flame that came on, bells that rang.  I could watch those balls going around until it made me dizzy.  

Did you know they make a windproof grill?

Of course, the gift shop had quality items for sale.  It sort of took away the "free" for the museum tour. 

Notice Bill's flame on his shopping bag?

I loved the Zippo vehicles that were parked outside.

Here's Bill's new pocket knife.  He thought the color would keep him from misplacing it.

We stopped at a neat sporting goods store that we passed earlier.  It had some great buys on Red Wing's.  Bill is ready for cold wet weather now.

I had wanted to check out this museum on our way back to the RV park.  

It was the Penn Brad Oil Museum.  We walked in and there wasn't anyone at the desk to take our admission.  I asked Bill if he wanted to skip it and he said yes.  We've visited the big one in Midland and some other little ones before. 

Turtle Safely.........

The Great Hoax

Richfield Springs, NY
KOA Cooperstown

I've sat here trying to think of an appropriate title for today's blog.  If I had titled it the Farmers' Museum you would have skipped right past it without reading.  How about if it was titled the Giant Cardiff or maybe Civil War Reenactment would entice you.  Living history historical village could be another.  Or maybe, it was on Mysteries at the Museum TV show.

When I told Bill, I'd much rather go to the Farmers' Museum than  the Baseball of Fame, he was surprised.  His idea of a Farmers' Museum was of the hundreds of little farming towns out in the Midwest that collect all their old implements and call it a museum.  

Our day began arriving at the museum before it was open.  The entry door was open and when we walked in they took our admission fee early.  Just to give you a clue about how much fun this was, Bill said he's never paid $10.50  admission for something  that was worth it that much before. We've spent a fair amount of money on admission over the years.  

I wish I had learned something about the building, but I guess, you'll just have to visit it and tell us about it.  

Now you can say you've seen the Cardiff Giant.  

In October of 1869 this giant figure was discovered by someone digging a well in a nearby small village.  

You can click on these to enlarge it so you can read it.

It just goes to show they manipulated the media and the people into believing the story.  Does it sound like the same thing happening in today's time period?  

Now, we learned why it was called the Farmers' Museum.  Hops is a very profitable crop that is grown in the area, as well as apples.  

The upstairs of the building held all the typical museum items.  

There was a big collection of carriages.  

 I believe this was a postal carriage and I always think of Vicki Allen and Ron Lichtenberg when I see these.

I enjoyed the building trades display.  They showed you the different ways of building.

Of course you have to have a tractor.

Such much for the main barn.

This was the Empire State Carousel house with hand-made animals.  I decided after our last ride on a carousel, that they went too fast for me.  

We walked a little further and saw the entrance to the historic village.

I guess I should mention that the weather was perfect and the only thing in the sky was a bald eagle that kept circling. Sorry we didn't get a photo of it, but watching it was better than trying to focus and find it in the camera.  

All of the interpreters were in period clothing.  All of the items for sale were made in the village.

You were invited to try the historic toys and games at the Filer's house.

The interpreters were so knowledgeable and fun to talk with.  You really felt like you stepped back in time.

Of course Bill enjoyed this part the best.

What a way for children to learn history.

They marched through the village.

There camp looked great and I didn't see any coolers or cell phones lying around.

They were all so friendly and would explain things that you wouldn't even think to ask.  

They did a drill and firing demonstration.  While we were learning how the soldiers performed, the eagle kept circling.  

If they weren't in uniform, they were in other period clothing.

We also learned how the boys and girls were separated in the school, even down to the coat room.  The children were not given slate   boards until they could write in the sand box at the bottom of the photo.

The blacksmith shop had 4 people working.  

This women told us what the women's role was during the war. Many stories about the war period developing "the rest of the story".

All of the signs in the village were made in the print shop.  

The lawyer's office was as you would expect it to be.

Bill was enjoying this immensely.  

The Templeton Players were doing "Box and Cox" which was fun to watch.  They were also good actors.

We had some pork sandwiches for lunch that were so large, I couldn't finish mine.  Notice the antique bicycles again.  I know this year has been a tour of old bicycles.  We've seen a lot displayed this year.

We listened to the 77th Regimental Balladeers Concert in the church.  They were very good and played some very good pieces.  One of the violin players was exceptional.  Everyone was singing along and enjoying the music.  The photo didn't show the entire group.

The graveyard had some very old tombstones.

What is it I love about these old taverns?  

Once the Erie Canal reduced the traffic on the road, the Bump Tavern was used as summer places for people from New York City.  

People would stay for several months.

The children would have stayed in this room.

There was a display of soldier's quilts.

One exhibit I found interesting was the pharmacy.  Misty would have enjoyed seeing this.  They were mixing the herbs for medicine.  The girl was making a mixture for a sore throat.  The medicinal herb garden supplied all the ingredients.

I didn't stop long enough in the Lippitt house for a photo.  There was a cook making a lunch of lamb and a person was eating the lunch.  He took a cake out of the fireplace.  It was immediately covered with flies.  I'm sure it would have been interesting to someone who loves cooking but I didn't linger.  I didn't want to watch someone eating that food that was covered in flies and it was very hot in there.

They had turkeys among all the other farm animals.  We didn't walk down to the petting zoo, grainery, or poultry house.  Somehow we also missed the hop house.  

The doctor's office was also interesting, but it was crowded in that home.  

The interpreters dressed in period clothing also made brooms, did spinning and weaving, and a tailor was making a man's shirt.    

We missed some buildings but it was almost 4 pm and we've been there since it opened, reluctantly we returned to the truck.  It was a great day and we both thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.  

We are scheduled to leave tomorrow but there is so many things we didn't have time to see in the past week.  Of course, we are probably the only people who stayed here and didn't make it to the Baseball Hall of Fame.  I guess we'll just have to put the Mohawk Valley on our come back list.  

Maybe we should decide which direction we are going.  I do fly by the seat of my pants sometimes.  

Turtle Safely........