Antique Museum at Westmoreland Fairgrounds tells rich history of local agriculture

When the Antique Museum building opened at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mt. Pleasant Township almost 20 years ago, it was barely half as big as it is today, and now, those involved in the project are hoping to make it even bigger.

The idea to house and display farm-oriented antiques was born when Robert E. Graham and Richard E. Weinschenker donated a “substantial amount of funds,” for the building, according to Graham’s son, Dennis, who is the president of Graham Dairy Supply

Graham, 71, of Hempfield typically curates items for the museum. He’s also been on the Westmoreland Fair board of directors since 1984.

“I’ve made numerous trips picking up stuff people have donated,” Graham said. “If I can find something someone wants to donate, I’ll go get it.”

Among the antiques are many items from his family’s collection, including a selection of milk bottles.

“(Starting) out, I only wanted milk bottles from defunct dairies (in) Westmoreland County, and there (were) a lot of them,” Graham said. “It’s grown to bottles from almost anywhere.”

One of the unique pieces in the museum is an egg vending machine, and according to Graham, it’s one of only three ever built in the United States by the same company. It’s on permanent loan to the fair from the Frye family, he said.

Though some of the items are donated, many of the museum’s antiques are still owned by those who agreed to display them.

There’s an array of dairy equipment, as well as tractors, and according to Wilbur Weaver, some of the equipment dates back to the 1800s — including a corn cutter he pointed out.

“We rescued that from a burn pile and put new legs and stuff back on it,” Weaver, 76, of Weltytown, said.

Weaver has spent time during the Westmoreland Fair stationed in the Antique Museum to try to answer any questions fairgoers might have about the items.

“Some people come in here and really enjoy it, and they’ll be here an hour or more,” Weaver said. “And other people will be in and out of here in less than a minute.”

Weaver said the museum is only open during the fair, and he said the people who enjoy the display are why he and others affiliated with the museum are there.

Similar to Graham, Weaver has contributed equipment of his own to the collection, including a couple hit-and-miss engines, a corn chopper and two of the corn shellers.

He explained that he started farming when he was 16, so the museum means quite a lot to him.

“A lot of this equipment I’ve worked with in the past and know a little about it,” Weaver said. “(I) enjoy restoring it and bringing the old engines back to life — it’s very rewarding.”

His favorite pieces would have to be the hit-and-miss engines, he said.

Revealing history

Zane Lape is the president of the Fort Allen Antique Farm Equipment Association Inc., which displays equipment lent to the club in the museum during the fair.

The main reason for displaying the antiques, said Lape, 68, of Salem, is to show fairgoers the history behind farming and educate them on “how labor (intensive) it was.”

“Sometimes, I think it overwhelms them,” Lape said. “They see how hard it was to do things and how much slower the process was compared to hopping on a machine that does it all.”

He cited packages of nails that can be bought at a hardware store as an example.

“Back then, a blacksmith would have to take a piece of steel and beat it for a couple of minutes to make one nail,” Lape said.

He said he believes sometimes there’s a lack of appreciation for a meal that includes chicken because nowadays, consumers don’t have to raise the chicken, butcher it and prepare it.

“Today, you go buy it … prepackaged,” Lape said. “Poof, there you go — chicken nuggets.”

The museum is a way to show young people more about the processes behind how their ancestors provided for their families, Graham said.

“That’s what makes us feel good — people are looking,” Graham said. “There’s things that people never saw before.”

Graham said they’d like to expand the display to show more local agricultural history.

“We’d like to add on to that building and make it bigger because we need more room,” Graham said.

Those who have anything antique or farm-related can contact the Westmoreland Fair office at 724-423-5005 about donating, he said.