Pioneer Farm portrays life on the farm in the 1880's

By JULIET BRISKIN | Central Texas Edition

Ken McElroy, the Sunday blacksmith at the Pioneer Farm, demonstrates metalworking for two young visitors. He is one of many volunteers. -Staff photo by Briskin

September 20, 2001 -- Just north of Austin off I-35 lies a piece of Texas farming history at the Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm. The property is carefully preserved by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, the Heritage Society and the Friends of the Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farm.

The mission of the farm is to preserve and portray the agrarian lifestyle on the Blackland Prairie of Central Texas in the 1880s. The farm is an outdoor living history museum that provides visitors a glimpse of life along Walnut Creek.

In 1956, Laura and Eugene Giles donated the property to the Heritage Society of Austin and in 1975 the Austin Parks and Recreation Department began hosting programs on the grounds.

The farm depicts the life of three rural family lifestyles of Travis County; the homestead of the middle class, the tenant farm of the laboring class, and the commercial cotton farm of the well-to-do. The staff is dressed in period costumes and demonstrate activities typical to residents of a farm in the 1880's such as churning butter, milking a cow, metal working, baking a pie and spinning yarn.

According to Maria Thompson, education coordinator at the farm, "just being out here connects you with nature." Recently one mother thanked Thompson for showing her children that popcorn does not come from the microwave.

"The farm connects you to the people of the past and the way they used to live," said Thompson. "One thing I try to do is impress upon the children that there are people still living like this in some parts of the world."

The farm provides hands-on exhibits for children and adults alike. Visitors are invited to feed the mule and the donkey, pet young chicks and even milk a cow. The friendly and knowledgeable staff is on hand to answer questions about life in the 1880s.

Keith Nelson, agricultural assistant for the farm, works with the animals and the props and keeps the garden. "This place is great," said Nelson. "We do summer camps and daily educational field-trips for as many as 250 kids a day."

Jody Boles of Austin and her husband regularly visit the farm with their two children. "The farm is so peaceful," she said, "and is a nice way for our children to learn about the basics of life like where milk comes from. The kids really enjoy the farm. "

Ken McElroy, the Sunday blacksmith, volunteers at the farm. Monday through Friday McElroy works as an engineer with Applied Materials, but come Sunday he dons his blacksmith garb and demonstrates metalworking for visitors of the farm.

According to McElroy the farm is a benefit to the public by showing the history of farming and by helping kids get a different view of life. "Here they can see what it took to live on a farm in the 1880's," he said.

Carol Wyche, a fiber artist at the farm, believes that it is important to know where we came from. "It is good to see how ingenious these people were," she said. "We tend to forget that people in the past were every bit as intelligent as we are, they just didn't have the technological base that we do."

According to Thompson about 19,000 children from all over Texas visit the farm each year in addition to visitors from foreign countries. Groups of 10 or more need to make reservations.

Monday through Wednesday the farm provides programs for younger children. Thursdays and Fridays are reserved for children in grades four and up. The programs for the older children includes dressing up in period costumes, doing chores, milking cows and cooking their lunch. In addition to the weekly programs the farm hosts Sunday afternoon family programs and many other special educational events.

For reservations, hours of operation or information about upcoming events call 512-837-1215.