These are notes on an exhibit we recently attended in Hurley, NY, in the Hudson River Valley.
Hurley Heritage Society "Hurley Harvest: By Hand and by Horse" One room in museum, chronological evolution of farming from Native Americans to grain to dairy to corn to 2014 [Hudson Valley Farm Hub]; 2 sections on Farm Family; items were loaned, not necessarily used in Hurley; mix of old and new [example, corn poster, faux veg in basket, wooden eggs in egg basket]; copies of generic engravings [ex. farmer cutting with scythe]; mostly short captions to describe items, with a few narratives; Dairy and Farm Family [poultry/sheep] displays back-to-back in center of room; no hands-on. Photos in order clockwise around room: entrance, Native Americans, 18th C. tools, Dutch barn, old tools, ledger, weathervane/wooden fork/ Farm Family vegetables, corn, corn/maps/Hub; center: poultry, dairy
Hurley Heritage Society "Hurley Harvest: By Hand and by Horse" One room in museum, chronological evolution of farming from Native Americans to grain to dairy to corn to 2014 [Hudson Valley Farm Hub]; 2 sections on Farm Family; items were loaned, not necessarily used in Hurley; mix of old and new [example, corn poster, faux veg in basket, wooden eggs in egg basket]; copies of generic engravings [ex. farmer cutting with scythe]; mostly short captions to describe items, with a few narratives; Dairy and Farm Family [poultry/sheep] displays back-to-back in center of room; no hands-on. Photos in order clockwise around room: entrance, Native Americans, 18th C. tools, Dutch barn, old tools, ledger, weathervane/wooden fork/ Farm Family vegetables, corn, corn/maps/Hub; center: poultry, dairy
Hurley Harvest: By Hand and By Horse from Hurley Heritage Society
For thousands of years, the glacial and alluvial soils of the Hurley Flats on the flood plain of the lower Esopus Creek have been continuously farmed. The first farmers were the Lenni Lenape people, the the tradition extends to the present day Farm Hub. The Hurley Flats begin just outside of Kingston, NY, and reach southwest to Lomontville, bounded by State Rt. 209 on the east and Hurley Mountain Road on the west.
Over the last few centuries, Hurley agriculture has seen several transitions driven by social and market changes, and improvements in farming methods. This exhibit presents images and tools that tell the story of transition. Most of the exhibit represents the period 1850 to 1930 when farming was largely done by hand and with the aid of draft animals such as horses, oxen, and mules.
Photo: "Plowing on the Hurley Flats c. 1910: Collection: Viola Opdahl
Top: Whiffletree--distributes load when using draft animals
Bottom: Ox Yoke--On loan from...
Lenape Era [through the 1600s]
Farming got its start on the Hurley Flats long before the arrival of Europeans. The Algonquin-speaking Lenni Lenape tribe used slash and burn techniques to clear land for farming. They grew crops typical of the Hudson Valley region including the familiar "three sisters" companion planting of maize [corn], squash, and beans. Many artifacts from Lenape activities have been found in Hurley over the years reminding us of this important part of our history.
Wheat Years [late 1600s-1840s]
Wheat dominated as a cash crop starting with European settlement in the late 1600s. Wheat and flour were exported as far as the Caribbean. The fertile lands of Esopus [Kingston] were called the "breadbasket of the colonies." Grains, including rye and oats as well as wheat, were grown on higher ground, and hay for the livestock on the lower, more flood-prone areas.
Wheat production in the Hudson Valley declined sharply after 1830 when the Erie Canal brought wheat from further wet to eastern markets, and pests such as wheat blight and Hessian fly reduced yields.
Dairy Years [1850s-1930s]
As wheat production declined in the Hudson Valley in the latter half of the 1800s, dairy production increased. Johnny Kaufman, one of the last Hurley dairy farmers, said there were once 28 farms, mostly dairy, on the Hurley Flats. Grains and corn continued to be grown for animal feed and human consumption, and of course, hay. Butter and cheese were shipped to market by boat and increasingly by train. Ice refrigeration made transport of fresh milk also possible. Some still remember riding the last of the "milk trains" in the 1940s to New York City on the West Shore line, stopping at every small hamlet along the way.
Family Farm Part 1: Cash Crops and Kitchen Garden
Although wheat and then dairy were dominant in the Hudson Valley economy, individual farms typically stayed diversified by growing a variety of cash crops including apples, cider, vegetables such as cabbage and potatoes, as well as grains, corn, and hay. And of course each farmhouse had a kitchen garden and orchard to grow vegetables and fruit for the family. Few homes were without grapevines for making homemade wine.
Family Farm Part 2: Meats, Eggs, and Produce
Farm diversification included raising animals such as chickens for eggs and meat, sheep for wool and meat, and swine. Vegetables and fruit were shipped to urban markets by train or boat, or hauled by wagon to local Catskill hotels. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the railroads promoted a growing tourist hotel business which created demand for fresh meat and produce as well as eggs and dairy products.
Sweet Corn Years [1940s-2013]
As dairy farming became less profitable during the mid 20th century and consolidated into fewer and larger farms, the Hurley Flats went through another transition. Sweet corn became the dominant crop as dairy farms and other truck crops such as tomatoes and cabbage were displaced. The Gill, Paul, Hasbrouck, and Davenport families all contributed to sweet corn production for the fresh market.
In 2013, the 1,255 acre Gill Farm was purchased by a non-profit foundation for the creation of the Hudson Valley Farm Hub, a center for farmer training and agricultural research. Since that time, the number of acres in Hurley under sweet corn production has been significantly reduced in favor of a more diversified crop rotation.
For thousands of years, the glacial and alluvial soils of the Hurley Flats on the flood plain of the lower Esopus Creek have been continuously farmed. The first farmers were the Lenni Lenape people, the the tradition extends to the present day Farm Hub. The Hurley Flats begin just outside of Kingston, NY, and reach southwest to Lomontville, bounded by State Rt. 209 on the east and Hurley Mountain Road on the west.
Over the last few centuries, Hurley agriculture has seen several transitions driven by social and market changes, and improvements in farming methods. This exhibit presents images and tools that tell the story of transition. Most of the exhibit represents the period 1850 to 1930 when farming was largely done by hand and with the aid of draft animals such as horses, oxen, and mules.
Photo: "Plowing on the Hurley Flats c. 1910: Collection: Viola Opdahl
Top: Whiffletree--distributes load when using draft animals
Bottom: Ox Yoke--On loan from...
Lenape Era [through the 1600s]
Farming got its start on the Hurley Flats long before the arrival of Europeans. The Algonquin-speaking Lenni Lenape tribe used slash and burn techniques to clear land for farming. They grew crops typical of the Hudson Valley region including the familiar "three sisters" companion planting of maize [corn], squash, and beans. Many artifacts from Lenape activities have been found in Hurley over the years reminding us of this important part of our history.
Wheat Years [late 1600s-1840s]
Wheat dominated as a cash crop starting with European settlement in the late 1600s. Wheat and flour were exported as far as the Caribbean. The fertile lands of Esopus [Kingston] were called the "breadbasket of the colonies." Grains, including rye and oats as well as wheat, were grown on higher ground, and hay for the livestock on the lower, more flood-prone areas.
Wheat production in the Hudson Valley declined sharply after 1830 when the Erie Canal brought wheat from further wet to eastern markets, and pests such as wheat blight and Hessian fly reduced yields.
Dairy Years [1850s-1930s]
As wheat production declined in the Hudson Valley in the latter half of the 1800s, dairy production increased. Johnny Kaufman, one of the last Hurley dairy farmers, said there were once 28 farms, mostly dairy, on the Hurley Flats. Grains and corn continued to be grown for animal feed and human consumption, and of course, hay. Butter and cheese were shipped to market by boat and increasingly by train. Ice refrigeration made transport of fresh milk also possible. Some still remember riding the last of the "milk trains" in the 1940s to New York City on the West Shore line, stopping at every small hamlet along the way.
Family Farm Part 1: Cash Crops and Kitchen Garden
Although wheat and then dairy were dominant in the Hudson Valley economy, individual farms typically stayed diversified by growing a variety of cash crops including apples, cider, vegetables such as cabbage and potatoes, as well as grains, corn, and hay. And of course each farmhouse had a kitchen garden and orchard to grow vegetables and fruit for the family. Few homes were without grapevines for making homemade wine.
Family Farm Part 2: Meats, Eggs, and Produce
Farm diversification included raising animals such as chickens for eggs and meat, sheep for wool and meat, and swine. Vegetables and fruit were shipped to urban markets by train or boat, or hauled by wagon to local Catskill hotels. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the railroads promoted a growing tourist hotel business which created demand for fresh meat and produce as well as eggs and dairy products.
Sweet Corn Years [1940s-2013]
As dairy farming became less profitable during the mid 20th century and consolidated into fewer and larger farms, the Hurley Flats went through another transition. Sweet corn became the dominant crop as dairy farms and other truck crops such as tomatoes and cabbage were displaced. The Gill, Paul, Hasbrouck, and Davenport families all contributed to sweet corn production for the fresh market.
In 2013, the 1,255 acre Gill Farm was purchased by a non-profit foundation for the creation of the Hudson Valley Farm Hub, a center for farmer training and agricultural research. Since that time, the number of acres in Hurley under sweet corn production has been significantly reduced in favor of a more diversified crop rotation.