Spring Has Sprung At Slate Run Historical Farm

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

The Slate Run Historical Farm is a Columbus Metro Parks facility.  This living historical farm plants crops, and tends to livestock with the techniques from the late 1800's.  This gives people of all ages the opportunity to see what life on a farm was like in that time period.  This immersive experience really makes things come alive.

Impression:

Spring has sprung here at Slate Run Farm and the animals and visitors are out in force.

We arrived on a Saturday morning in early April.  The parking lot was full, and people needed to park in the overflow parking area.  Nice you enter the farm property, you can see that the fields have been cleared of their winter grasses and are being prepared for the spring planting.

Above, 2 volunteers, dressed in period appropriate clothing are planting spring vegetables in the house garden.  The use a hand held tilling machine to turn the ground and create a trough to put the seeds.  They then place the seeds into the ditch and cover them by hand.

Other volunteers in the renovated farm house use spinning wheels to take freshly shaved sheep's wool into thread and yarn.

If you have any questions about the home, property or the activities of the day, this fine lady will answer them!  She was taking a break inside after tending to the garden.

Ever have an opportunity to pet a lamb?   Maybe, but how about a 2 day old lamb?  Volunteers provided this opportunity to visitors on this fine spring day.

Today, electric clippers are used to shear sheep.  Back in 1890?  They had shears, but not the electric kind.  The ones used here are man powered, hand cranked.

It takes quite a bit of muscle to move the sheep around into position for shearing.  The sheep were rather docile for the majority of the process.

We often do a few stories on Slate Run Farm, and for good reason.  There is always something to be done on a farm, no matter if it is modern or historical, so you'll not likely be disappointed or bored on any visit.

Once the fields have matured, there is harvesting activities in the fields and threshing.  The animals always need tending too. 

Make sure to check out the Metro Parks website link above for visiting hours and dates of specific events.

Original Port Columbus Terminal and Tower

Written/Photography By: Andrew Livelsberger

Background:
One of the fist airports in the United States, the original Port Columbus Air Terminal was dedicated July 8, 1929.  The Great Depression hurt profitability and operations of this facility, but the airport started running mail service in 1930 and a huge contract from the Curtis-Wright corporation in 1940 that helped keep it going.

The US Government overtook operation of this terminal in 1941.  The terminal continued operations in this building until the newer, and still running terminal took over flights on September 21, 1958.



Impression:
I drive by this building almost daily.  It is located on 5th Avenue and butts right up to the now current John Glenn International Airport.  For the longest time, I've wanted to stop in and check out the signage, get pictures and write up a story.   I didn't know much about the place other than the fact that it was once the original Port Columbus Terminal.

The building is currently in pretty sad shape.   Some parts are overgrown by plants, parts of the concrete staircases are crumbling, windows and doors have seen better days.   Even a peek inside the windows shows that the inside has been pretty much stripped of all it once was.

Back in 2015, there were rumblings that Heartland Bank may buy the property, renovate it and use it as office space.  Reports at the time were listing the building revitalization around $1.8 million dollars. Further searches provided no additional information, but Heartland Bank has build a new facility about a mile away on Hamilton Road.  It appears that this building will stay vacant a bit longer.

During my quick visit there, I was greeted by Airport Police patrols.
Talking with the officer, he just wanted to let me know that they do monitor the building and check on it regularly because they have had issues with vandals defacing the building in the past.

I let him know what I was there for and he left me to finish my coverage.

I'm not sure who currently owns or looks after the property.
I do hope that someone or some organization gathers enough funds to restore the building.  It would make for a great aviation museum or a meeting facility, perhaps renting it out to businesses or for private events.

Hopefully the building will remain standing long into the future.

Old Time Threshing - Slate Run Living Historical Farm

Written/Photo/Video by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:
The Slate Run Living Historical Farm is an actual working farm where people can learn how farm life in Ohio was conducted in the late 1800's.  The farm is part of the Columbus Metro Parks system.

Impression:
One of the great things about the living historical farm is the immersive experience. They use actual machinery and techniques of the era.

In this demonstration, called threshing, you get to see how early automation helped to separate the wheat from the straw.  It took 5 workers to run the entire process.  Someone needed to drive the horses, 2 people took the wheat from the trailer and staged it for the worker at the hopper and one person to monitor the barrel where the wheat is deposited.  Several times the barrel would need emptied and loaded into a large sack, which you can see in the image immediately above.

We have featured Slate Run many times before, but as you can see, there are a lot of reasons for us to return there!  We think you'll find a lot of reasons to visit this place often.

Please enjoy this video showing the threshing process in action.  The video is hosted on Youtube, so feel free to load it full screen in all its HD glory.

Cleaning Up The Hay In The Fields - Circa 1865

Written / Photography

Andrew Livelsberger

 What's that?  Not enough hay in the loft!  Let's go back to the field and get some more!

Background:
Slate Run Metro Park while a fantastic local park in it's own right, also houses the wonderful Living Historical Farm.   We visit their quite often as there always seems to be something fun, exciting and educational there.
Slate Run Historical Farm Website

Impression:
On out most resent visit, we were lucky enough to get there at the end of the day when the farmers were taking the horses out for one last run through the north field, clearing the hay and bringing it back to the barn.

It is an interesting process and we put together a series of images that show some of the process!  We hope you enjoy it and are inspired to visit this great location.

1)  The horses are hitched to the wagon.  This wagon will hold the collected hay.

2)  Once in the field, the ramped machine that collects all the hay is connected to the wagon.  The farmer showed great skill in controlling the horses and getting the wagon backed into the perfect spot.

3) As they make rounds through the field, the machine pulls the hay to the top where operator at the back can pull it off and place it on the wagon.

4)  face showing a job well done!

Carillon Historical Park

Carillon Historical Park is a 65-acre park and museum in Dayton, Ohio.

It houses buildings and exhibits relating the history of Dayton and its residents from 1796 to the present.  It details the great people that called Dayton their home and made significant impact to the country and the world. 

Such famous names as the Wright Brothers, Deeds, Kettering can all be found here.

There is a museum section as well as an outdoor "town" structured around such things as the Huffy bikes, the Dayton flood, steam power, and a train car exhibit.

The beginnings of NCR, the National Cash Register company are explored her as well as the founders of the park and a glimpse of life back in the boom years of Dayton.

Just a few of the wonderful things you can find here are shown below.

The Carillon Bell Tower

Animatronic Speakers give you insight into the who's and why's.

Famous Buildings

School House

Fireplace at a local tavern

Vintage Sunoco Station

Clock tower from a downtown Dayton business saved after the flood

First class railway accommodations

Wright Brothers Cycle shop storefront

Wright Brothers workshop

Original Wright Flyer III