Karen Sherwood to present program on early Niagara County farming

At 2 p.m. Thursday, March 23, Karen Sherwood, a farmer, retired teacher and living history demonstrator, will present a free public program on farming in Western New York from the 1830s to the 1930s (when almost everyone utilized some farming skills).

Event organizers said, “As anyone driving along Niagara County’s rural roads can plainly see, today’s farm and agricultural equipment is often complex and high-tech. In earlier times, however, farm equipment was simpler, and was often plain hand tools.

“The audience will be able to see many of the hand tools, and will learn how they were used. Since farming activities were based on the seasons, the program will show how farm families’ lives revolved around the calendar.”

Sherwood and her family have collected agricultural artifacts and equipment for the past 50 years. They also do demonstrations on their family farm, concentrating on the period before 1930.

The free program will be held in the meeting room of the History Center, 215 Niagara St., Lockport. Reservations are not required.