Back To the Future

Huntington's Heritage Farm Museum

By Jeanie Prince

The Heritage Farm Museum & Village in Huntington includes 500 acres, 17 structures, and thousands of items on display. Visible here are the Applebutter Inn bed and breakfast on the right, log church, steam engine building, animal barn, and petting zoo. Photograph by Michael Keller.

Henriella and Mike Perry never spent time on a farm with grandparents, nor did any of their parents ever own a farm. Yet they live on one of the most interesting and unique farms in the state. The couple own and manage the Heritage Farm Museum and Village in West Huntington. A visit to the Perrys' 500-acre, Wayne County farm is like being transported back in time.

The village is filled with restored log cabins and barns, including the couple's log-built home, uniquely decorated with period furnishings. The items in the old general store are so authentic that browsers are almost disappointed when they find that they cannot purchase anything there. Household items, foods, kitchen tools, garden seeds, and old farming tools are just a few of the items on display in the general store. The store also has an impressive collection of antique vacuum cleaners that will leave you feeling very thankful for your electric-powered version at home!

The idea for the development of the historical village and museum began in several ways. Thirty years ago, Mike Perry was working long hours as an attorney. For relaxation, he played golf. Mike's wife Henriella became concerned that their two small children were not seeing enough of their father. "It was her suggestion that we try to do something as a family, and she asked in such a loving and sincere fashion that there was nothing to discuss," Mike recalls. "She was absolutely right!"

From that point on, the Perry family spent nearly every Saturday "junking" around the Huntington area, visiting estate sales, antique stores, and other places where they could find old, discarded, or collectable items.

You can read the rest of this article in the Summer 2002 issue of Goldenseal, available in bookstores, libraries or direct from Goldenseal.