Historian Elizabeth Riely explores Benjamin Franklin's fascination with the wild turkey, including his desire to see the turkey made the national symbol. She touches on the history of European discovery of the turkey.
The Farmer's Museum is an outdoor historical museum which presents the rural heritage of the U.S. Key features include an 1840s village, heritage gardens, and the Lippitt Farmstead. The farm site includes heritage breeds of sheep, turkeys, and cattle, as well as a farmhouse, barns, a granary, a hop house, a smokehouse, and a poultry house. An interactive 1910 county fair is on the grounds on a seasonal basis. Collections consist of over 23,000 artifacts including wallpaper, textiles, and a particularly strong showing of historical woodworking tools.
The museum offers period rooms, gardens, hands-on activities, demonstrations, historic skill workshops, lectures, educational children's programs, a children's interpretation program, and guided tours for groups. Two weeks advance notice is required for group tours. The website offers a museum blog.