Try the Farm Life ...

Agriculture has always been an important part of the way-of-life in Lewis County. In the spring, summer and fall, you will see cows grazing in the pasture.

The history of dairy appears trace back to 1795 when the first cow was driven into the county with her calf, a sow, seven sheep and a pair of goats, all brought in from Fort Schuyler by the French colonists, intended for permanent residence. At an earlier period, cattle had been driven through the county, from Kingston to the Mohawk.

Dairy Farming is remains a big part of Lewis County. In fact, Lewis County has about twice as many cows as it has people - with 53,000 head of cattle and only 26,944 people... now that's rural and agricultural! Everywhere you drive you will see dairy farms of differing sizes. The farms in our county produce 500,000,000 pounds of milk each year. We have many businesses that support farming like feed companies, milk co-ops, implement dealers, and veterinarians. Lewis County is also home to the largest cream cheese plant in the world.

The Mennonite Heritage Farm, located in Kirschnerville near Croghan, was home to three generations of the Moser family. The land was cleared in the second decade of the nineteenth century.

The family maintained the farm with animals and a large garden until well into the 1980's. At that time the property was purchased by a committee of sponsors who recognized the unique value of the farm as aliving story of the life and faith of the area's settlers. Most of the buildings have exhibits and displays of artifacts and information about the life of the early Amish Mennonite settlers in the Croghan area (1830-1900). The farm is open during the summer.