The Farm Museum of the Shenandoah Valley 501(c)(3) was organized to create a museum and education center to help people of all ages learn about the methods farmers used to grow food in the early days of our country, and view the equipment and tools early farmers and their families used.

The mission of the Farm Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is to become a Farm Education Center, which will have learning opportunities for children and adults.  The center will provide a platform to help all people appreciate the hard work of generations of farmers. The primitive tools these early farmers worked with were mostly hand made of wood or made in blacksmith shops, powered only by themselves or horsepower.  The mechanisms of the early equipment can be readily seen and studied as precursors to later, more advanced equipment.

Emphasis of the center will be on how food was produced, processed, and made ready for the table.  The education opportunities are endless.

J. L. Hopkins III was a farmer and developer in Rockingham County, Virginia, who quite often saw a need in the community, and worked to get that need filled. J. L. wanted people to have an appreciation for farmers and to know how their food was produced. One of J.L’s projects in the last decade of his life was to buy and recondition antique horse drawn farm equipment and tools, and early mechanized farm equipment.  Talented workmen in the area used their skills in carpentry, leatherwork, ironwork, and painting so the pieces became just was they were while being used.  J. L. passed away in the summer of 2018 at the age of 90. The entire collection of farm equipment and tools have been gifted to the Farm Museum of the Shenandoah Valley by the Hopkins family.

The board is seeking contributions to buy land and built a building to house the collection.

Buy a Ticket to the Festival to Contribute.  

Additional Contributions can be sent to:  Farm Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, 2246 Three Springs Rd.,  McGaheysville, VA  22840.