Thursday, July 4, 2024
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Farmers’ Museum, Cooperstown, NY
Admission: Adults and Juniors (ages 13-64): $17.50; seniors (65+): $12.50; youth (7-12): $10.00; children (6 and under): free.

COOPERSTOWN, NY — The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown marks Independence Day on Thursday, July 4, with a traditional 1840s celebration featuring a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence, food, and activities focused on family fun. Starting at noon, watch as the Declaration of Independence is read aloud on the Bump Tavern Green. Take part in the 13 celebratory toasts as our Founding Fathers did with lemonade made from an 1840’s recipe. In addition there will be a reading of Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” and piece by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Sit for an old-fashioned tintype portrait from 10:00am–4:00pm (weather permitting, $35 per 4 x 5 tintype, register and select your timeslot at Todd’s General Store).19th-century children’s games will be provided for family play on the Bump Tavern Green.

During the event, museum artisans will demonstrate traditional blacksmithing, letterpress printing, and other trades throughout the day.

At the print shop, you can pick up a copy of our 1840’s lemonade recipe, printed on the museum’s Liberty Job Press. At the Lippitt Farmstead, learn about life on the farm and delight in the animals in the Children’s Barnyard. In the Main Barn, check out the exhibition The Buzz about Pollinators and our historic tool collection.  You can also take a ride on the Empire State Carousel, explore the Country Village, shop at Todd’s General Store, and visit the famous Cardiff Giant. Sit on our tavern green while you enjoy selections from The Crossroads Café.

The museum is open every day this summer from 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Admission: Adults and Juniors (ages 13-64): $17.50; seniors (65+): $12.50; youth (7-12): $10.00; children (6 and under): free. Museum members are always admitted free, as are active-duty and retired career military. Free admission for those receiving SNAP benefits—up to four people with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. The Farmers’ Museum is located at 5775 Route 80 in Cooperstown, just north of the village. Visit FarmersMuseum.org for more information.

About The Farmers’ Museum

As one of the oldest rural life museums in the country, The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, New York, provides visitors with a unique opportunity to experience 19th-century rural and village life first-hand through authentic demonstrations and interpretative exhibits. The museum, founded in 1943, comprises a Colonial Revival stone barn listed on the National Register for Historic Places, a recreated historic village circa 1845, the Empire State Carousel, and a working farmstead. Through its 19th-century village and farm, the museum preserves important examples of upstate New York architecture, early agricultural tools and equipment, and heritage livestock. The Farmers’ Museum’s outstanding collection of more than 23,000 items encompasses significant historic objects ranging from butter molds to carriages, and hand planes to plows. The museum also presents a broad range of interactive educational programs for school groups, families, and adults that explore and preserve the rich agricultural history of the