A Moment in Time

Howell Living History Farm, a facility of the Mercer County Park Commission

HHOWELL LIVING HISTORY FARM is a time machine that takes visitors to the year 1900, when horse drawn buggies traveled the lanes of Pleasant Valley, New Jersey and when farms were bordered by snake fences and Osage orange trees. Each year, over 65,000 visitors experience their rural heritage through the living history programs offered at Howell Farm.

Howell Farm has been a working farm for 285 years. During its 45 years as a property of Mercer County, the farm has grown from a 126-acre tract of donated farmland to a 267-acre historical park where the agriculture and lifestyle of earlier times is presented annually to more than 10,000 school children and 55,000 other visitors. As a living history farm, it continues to operate on a full, working scale by raising crops and livestock, and by using the house and barns as people did in earlier times. Dozens of horse-powered field and transportation operations are used to farm the 50 tillable acres where corn, oats, wheat, and hay are raised using equipment representative of the period.

The Mercer County Park Commission's successful preservation and restoration of the farm qualified the property for listings on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 1978, just four years after it was given to the county by the Howell Family of Pennington. Public appreciation of the 'farm park' that opened in 1984, and state and national recognition of its award-winning programs, inspired the 1991 formation of the Pleasant Valley National Rural Historic District. Key properties within the district were subsequently acquired by Mercer County and are maintained and operated by Howell Farm as The Pleasant Valley Historical Park. Visitors can enjoy the park through the tours of its one-room schoolhouse, late Revolutionary War period farmhouse, cemetery and the archaeological sites of a blacksmith shop, gristmill and two sawmills.

Howell Farm continues as a working farm, contributing to New Jersey's legacy as the Garden State. Dozens of horse-powered field and transportation operations are used to farm 126 acres: from growing corn, oats, wheat and hay to raising animals that give us milk, eggs and wool. Each year, visitors learn about the seeds, heritage breeds, and farming methods it preserves along with the ways they are still used to improve agriculture today.

There is never a dull moment at the farm. Seasonally appropriate events run year-round, along with children’s story time, nature friendly programs, and a whole range of educational programs which provide wonderful hands-on learning experiences. Every summer Howell Living Farm is the host to the Mercer County 4H Fair, a free 2-day event supporting Mercer County 4H children and their projects. In September, the farm’s 4-acre corn maze with 2 miles of paths opens and offers music, games, and a food tent. The 40th Annual Plowing match, a free 2-day event, will be held on September 2, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Memberships to the farm are also available. To find out more information about events or membership, check the farm’s website. ●

Howell Living History Farm

70 Woodens Lane

Hopewell Twp., NJ 08530

Main: 609-737-3299 info@howellfarm.org

Hours

Open Tuesday–Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cost

Free admission & parking; fee for corn maze

@howelllivinghistoryfarm

@howelllivinghistoryfarm