Washington Island Farm Museum — Attraction in Town of Washington

A wonderfully detailed exhibit of farm (and daily) life on the island before modernization. What an extraordinary lot of volunteer effort went into this outdoor history museum, starting in 1965. Washington island is small, but closely held among original families still, so there was both the passion, memory, and access to physical specimens.

It really needs several years of college intern or grant funding to update and clean, but it is a thought provoking time capsule of the way life was when most everything was done by hand or horse. From carrying all household water from the lake each day (neck yokes and bucket on display), to all sorts of farm implements run off an exchangeable belt driven power take off.

Many old and original farm buildings have been relocated from across the island. The minimal space and belongings with which people made due is a sobering reminder of the abundance of consumer goods we surround ourselves with today.

The extensive display of household utensils is a lesson in how much hand work was involved in every, even the simplest, chore -- but the diversity and ingenuity of tools in trying to make tasks quicker or less labor intensive is inspiring also

An amazing resource and well worth the visit.

Easily accessible by bike or trolley. Free...

My fiance and I had an absolute blast at this small farming museum. Museum isn't really the right word. This is more of a handcrafted exhibit that takes you through some of the history of farming equipment and more specifically life as a farmer in Washington Island. I highly highly recommend visiting and looking at all the machinery in historical pieces on display.

Just like the pictures show they do have a couple goats sheep and chickens that are all very friendly and always looking to get fed. There's an apple tree near the enclosure. The goats really liked it when we grabbed apples that fell off and brought them to their enclosure.

The whole thing is free but I highly recommend giving a generous donation because there are people that take their time to maintain this property and to feed the animals. A fantastic piece of Door...

We have been coming to the Farm Museum for many years and this year did not disappoint. They have restored and added so many exhibits. It’s self-guided. You can walk through time on this beautiful farm. They have a few goats, chickens, and rabbits to say hi to and feed if you like. Also added a fun dress-up area to take pictures with the buggy they have set up....