Community Day 2022
Community Day has returned to Rose Hill Mansion! It will be held on Saturday, August 13 from 12 to 4 p.m. A free, family-oriented event, visitors can walk through the mansion at their own pace and a variety of activities will be around the site.
Moon and Star will be making an appearance at Community Day.
In the 19th century the Swan and Johnston families had Devon cows. The Frier family is bringing their Devon cows for demonstrations on the back lawn. The Frier family are local farmers who raise and breed Devon cows for both milk and beef. Historical agricultural education is a high priority for the Frier family. Josiah Frier is 12 years old and the teamster of fifteen-month-old American Milking Devons, Grant and Lee. Born on the farm, Josiah has been working with Grant and Lee since they were young calves. Dale Freier III, 19, has an older team of American Linebackers, Moon and Star. These six-year-old oxen weigh over 2,000 pounds each and Dale has been working with them since they were 1 week old calves. Their breed is not the same heritage breed, but they are full oxen. Considered the best trained and behaved team on the farm, Moon and Star are very impressive to see in the yoke. Dale, who will begin his sophomore year at Patrick Henry College in August, is also a great spokesman for historical draft cattle
The Ward O’ Hara Agricultural and Country Living Museum will have a booth at the event. Founded in 1973 by Ward and Ruth O’Hara, the museum is located on Owasco Lake. Ward, nicknamed “The Storyteller” due to his keen memory of events and the ability to retell those events in an interesting way, was a dairy farmer, Cayuga County legislator, John Deere equipment dealer, newspaper columnist, author, and an avid farm equipment collector. When his barn quickly filled with antiques and old machines he had acquired, Ward thought it would be nice if the public could see his collection. The family-friendly museum is dedicated to the history of agriculture in Cayuga County as well as surrounding counties with many antiques to view.
Boys playing the game Graces on the lawn behind Rose Hill Mansion during a previous Community Day.
Additional activities will be old fashioned games and crafts. One of the crafts will be language of the fan. A creative way to learn about social life in the 19th century and a way to stay cool on a summer day, visitors will make their own fans and learn a few ways to send messages without speaking a word. The second craft will be making your own clay drain tile. Both Rose Hill Mansion and Johnston House share an important history with tile drainage .
The Carriage House Visitor Center and Gift Shop will be open during the event. In the Gift Shop visitors will find historically inspired gifts and locally made items. The proceeds go to supporting Rose Hill.
Rose Hill Mansion is located at 3373 Route 96A, about a mile south of Routes 5&20, near Geneva, New York. For more information about the event please visit our website. Support for Community Day is provided in part by the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation Part A.