An Exciting Summer is Just Around the Corner!

It's hard to believe that our official season is nearly one-quarter done.  By the end of May we will have seen nearly 2000 school children, entertaining and exciting them about history and the lives our pioneer ancestors lived.  Our longest traveling batch came from Indiana, and the schools include both public and private.  Soon we will take a break from 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade classes, and open our doors to the public for the summer months.  This year, there are many exciting things happening.  For more details, please visit www.johnstonfarmohio.com and check it out under the heading of 'NEWS'. 

Here's what is happening for May and June!

Saturday May 18th, 2013 - Car Show
The site will host a car show featuring cars of all types and times, including motorcycles and antique tractors.  Admission to both the car show and site are FREE that day.  House tours will run on the hour at one, two, and three o'clock.  The Indian Museum will be open from noon to four.  There will be a single boat ride at 2 p.m., traveling the entire length of the canal.  There will be a charge for the boat ride (the mules have to be fed!).  Prices for the ride are $3 for adults and $2 for school age children.  Come out and enjoy the site on a spring day!

 

Thursday May 30th, 2013 - Opening day!

SITE HOURS:     Thursday and Friday   10 - 5:00
                          Saturday and Sunday   Noon - 5:00

NEW HOUSE TOUR TIMES: 10:00, 11:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 & 4:00

GENERAL HARRISON CANAL BOAT TIMES:  12:30, 2:30 & 4:00

As well as opening to the public this day, we will also unveil the new Pickawillany Exhibit in the Indian Museum featuring items dug up on site during several field schools by Hocking College students and members of the Ohio Historical Society.   They (the items, not the students!) have been cleaned and cataloged and are now back where they belong.  Also included in the exhibit are objects belonging to the 18th century gunsmith, Thomas Burney, a survivor of Pickawillany, on loan from the estate of the late Dr. Alvin B. Salisbury, director of the now closed Museum of the Old Northwest Frontier in Lockington, OH.   Viewing of this new and permanent exhibit is included in the price of admission.  Be sure to watch for information about upcoming field schools and new items being added to the collection!

Saturday June 15th, 2013 - Johnston Farm Family & Friends Day
John Johnston’s family home will come alive with games and activities enjoyed in days past. Make this an early Father’s Day. Each dad or grandfather will be admitted free when accompanied by his family. Allow enough time to visit the Johnston’s home to learn how the family lived, take in the Historic Indian and Canal Museum to gain insight to the lives of the first people who called Ohio home, and don’t forget to include time in your day for a relaxing ride on the General Harrison of Piqua and relive the time when mules pulled boats and the world moved at four miles per hour.

Aso, on June 15th, the site will open to the public the traveling exhibit: Stories of the Civil War,: Letters from the Patterson Brothers. On Feruary 26, 1833, John Johnston's fourth daughter, Juliana, married Jefferson Patterson of Dayton, OH.  Among her distinguished sons was John Henry Patterson, who along with his brother Frank, founded NCR.  This exihibit tells the story of Julia and Jefferson's sons as they served their country during the war between the states using storyboards and letters as well as other items of the time.  Two of John Johnston's great-great-granddaughter's will be in attendance on opening day as well  as speakers from the Patterson Memorial Center.  Funding for this exhibit was made possible in part by the Ohio Humanities Council with support by the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The exihibit will be housed in the Johnston Farmhouse and will be included in the price of admission. 

 

 

 Keep coming back for more updates and listings of July's events!

Christmas in January

The holidays are over and the new year begun.  Time has flown quickly and we are just posting photos from this year's Christmas event.  If you missed it, there will be another one next season - but book quickly, we sell out well in advance of the event.

Our second annual Fall Festival was a great hit!  Attendance was one-third higher than last year.  Take a look at some of what went on and next year, be sure to join in the fun!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you missed the evening on the canal, you missed something special

A picture paints a thousand...or more words....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be sure to mark your calendar next year, and check out our 2012 event calendar for info on our Fall Farm Festival and Christmas event yet to come!

 

Life on an Indian Agency July 2012 virtually

If you missed the event this year, here are a few photos.  Hope you can make it next year!  There are three major events still to come for the 2012 season.  Be sure to join us for one of them!

PLEASE MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR THIS EVENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!  DEADLINE IS AUGUST 7th!

August 11: An Evening of Feasting, Music, & Canawling - Reservation Event

Enjoy a relaxing dinner in the Historic Indian and Canal Museum. Guests will then continue their evening with a twilight ride on the replica canal boat General Harrison of Piqua as it plies the entire length of our restored stretch of the Miami and Erie Canal. Passengers will be entertained with the peaceful music of a Native American flute as they experience the canal from an entirely different perspective. This unique opportunity is offered once each season and is a RESERVATION ONLY event; so call either 800-752-2619 or 773-2522 beginning July 1 to book your passage by August 7.

COST: $30.00/adults, $25.00/children 6-12, $25.00 & $20.00 for Johnston Farm Friends Council and Ohio Historical Society members

October 13: Celebrate Fall at the Johnston Farm

Have you ever wondered what the Miami and Erie Canal looked like in the fall? There will be two canal boat rides aboard the General Harrison of Piqua; one at 1:00 p.m. that will travel north to Lock 8 and return to the landing. The second ride at 2:30 will travel the entire length of our section of the canal to give passengers an idea of what canawlers saw in 1845 as they moved across western Ohio at four miles per hour. For those visitors who prefer to keep their feet on dry land, hayrides will also be a part of the afternoon. Join the staff and volunteers of the Johnston Farm & Indian Agency for this special fall afternoon and take part in a variety of activities and demonstrations at the home of John Johnston as well as a tour of the home. Be sure to include a visit to the Historic Indian and Canal Museum.

COST: Regular site admission

December 1: Christmas on the Johnston Farm - Reservation Event

This very special holiday event begins with dinner in John Johnston’s dining room featuring a traditional seasonal menu from the Johnston’s era. Following dinner, guests will be escorted into Johnston’s Drawing Room where the Johnston Farm Mummers will visit and present a traditional holiday entertainment. Next guests will visit each room of the home decorated for the holidays and learn more about some of our holiday traditions. Some special surprise visitors and neighbors may call as well. The visit will conclude with dessert and holiday music by the fireplace in the winter kitchen. This is a RESERVATION ONLY event; so call either 773-2522 or 800-752-2619 to confirm your spot for this very unique holiday event.

COST: $30.00/adults, $25.00/children to age 12, $25.00 and $20.00 for Johnston Farm Friends Council and Ohio Historical Society members

Johnston Farm Family Days - virtually