Johnston Farm and Indian Agency

      Johnston Farm is a major attraction in Piqua, Ohio. On the grounds, there's the Farmhouse, Double Pen Barn, Springhouse, Cider House, the General Harrison Canal Boat, and the Adena Indian Mound and Earthwork which are all available to the public. The Johnston Farm Museum was added later and provides information about the area, John Johnston, and the Native Americans that had lived there before. The Adena Indian Mound and Earthwork was a part of the Native American culture. The Native Americans that lived in this area made great strides in advancements in quality of life. They became more established by building hamlets that housed up to 20 individuals (1). The mound was built and used for ceremonial purposes which gathered people together. The people also made advancements in art and farming. Pottery was utilized in many ways in everyday life. The Adena people began gathering and planting seeds to begin gardens which increased the food supplies (1).

     John Johnston first discovered the area in the 1790s and purchased the land in 1804. Johnston served as a Federal Indian Agent where he worked as a liaison between the Native Americans in the area and the United States government. He retired and moved himself and his family to the land in 1811. He was forced out of retirement in 1812 during the War of 1812. Due to his connections between the Native Americans and the government, Johnston kept the peace in the Piqua region. During the War of 1812, his family lived in a log house until 1815 when the old brick Farmhouse was built. The Farmhouse served as a home to the Johnston family and as a Federal Indian Agency where Native Americans could meet with Johnston and representatives of the United States government. The log house was torn down and no longer exists (1). The Farmhouse was a unique establishment at that time since it was three stories tall and all materials used in construction where from the land. Johnston hired John Keyt, a local brick layer, to help construct the Farmhouse (1). There was an office that was below ground that Johnston used for work.

     The Double Pen Barn was built in 1808 by John Johnston in his attempts to become a simple farmer. The Double Pen Barn was used by the Johnston family to house their farming equipment and animals. The pens were protected from weather by the surrounding outer sheds (1). Johnston also used parts of the barn for storage of trade goods for the Piqua Indian Agency.

      The Springhouse was built behind the Farmhouse and next to the pond between 1808 and 1815. The Springhouse was built on top of a running stream that attached to the pond. The stream allowed the family to gather water. There was a cooling room and a bucket drop with the stream. There was a private bathhouse in the Springhouse with a fireplace. The Johnston family also used the Springhouse for textile production. They produced candles, fabrics, and lye soap. The Johnston family hired helpers for the Farmhouse and the textile production, and these helpers lived in the second level of the Springhouse. The pond has fish and other animals that the Johnston family could have used for food or other aspects of life.

     The Cider House was built in 1828 by the Johnston family. The Cider House was used by the family to process apples from the apple trees located on the farm. The Johnston family would collect apples, peel them, and process the into various products. They made hard cider, soft cider, apple cider vinegar, and other apple products (not iPhones) which they used to sell and trade for other products. The Johnston family had two large orchards that had at least eight different varieties of apples, including McMahon's and Golden Pippins (1). The apples and apple products were one of the family's main crops.

     The General Harrison Canal Boat is one of the most sought-after attractions at Johnston Farm. The canal was one of many that was built after the War of 1812 in attempt to increase trade and selling. John Johnston was one of seven members to the Canal Commissions Board which oversaw the construction of canals as means of transportation of goods and individuals (1). By 1845, the Johnston family and many other famers could use the canal to transport goods and people across hundreds of miles much faster than walking or carriage. This helped the economy boom and businesses to grow. The canal boats were typically pulled by two mules along a path that ran parallel to the canal. A replica of the canal boat used by the Johnston family can be used today which is still pulled in the traditional fashion with two mules. The original boat can still be seen in the water since it sank years ago.

     The last main structure found on the grounds is the Johnston Farm Museum. The museum was built years after John Johnston's death to memorialize his work with the Native Americans in the area and his work with the Canal Commissions Board. The museum provides information about the Eastern Woodland Native Americans and the Pickawillany village site, which is shown by utilizing wax figures and traditional Native American shelters, tools, clothing, and pottery. There are multiple rooms with information about local animals, the Johnston family, and local history. There is a gift shop that sells traditionally made lye soap.

     For many years, the Johnston Farm has been open to the public and has been a site for many school functions from surrounding schools. Each year, the Johnston Farm partners with the Piqua City government to host a festival, the "Piqua Heritage Festival", which has been a huge celebration. The festival includes local vendors selling food or goods. There's a campsite area near the Adena Indian Mound and Earthwork where people can set up tents and traditional Native American shelters to stay in during the duration of the festival. The canal boat runs hourly, and costumed tour guides provide facts of the usage of the canal and the boats. The museum is opened as well. Traditional Native American music is played along with local groups or Celtic groups. They have educational sessions for children. There are multiple large tents set up for selling and trading. Many of the people who attend the festival dress up as well. The festival has not been in operation for a couple years now due to budget constraints, but the Johnston Farm is still open.

     I spent every year of my childhood at the festival every day it was open. My paternal grandmother would take me one day and my brother the next. On the days that I didn't go with my grandmother, I went with my parents. We would always start the day at the campsite near the Adena Indian Mound and Earthwork. We looked for friends and family, then we would spend some time thinking about the Native Americans that used to live there and how they lived their lives. As I got older, it became easier to imagine and became more upsetting as I learned more about the mistreatment of Native Americans by the hands of settlers. After our moment of silence, we would head to the Farmhouse first. We would take the tour through the house, even though I could probably give the tour by the time I was 10. Each room was opened and had informational boards about each room and the family members of the Johnston family. My favorite room was the kitchen. There was always older cooking materials and no modern kitchen equipment like a refrigerator or a stove and oven.

     After the Farmhouse tour, we would take the steps down to the Springhouse and pond. This was my second favorite place since you could feel the water from the stream in the lower levels of the house. The upper levels are inaccessible, but you could look at the equipment the Johnston family and their helpers used to make the textiles and lye soap. In the pond, you could see fish and hear frogs. One year, we saw a snake in the water, and a turtle another year. Another year, I found kittens and a mama cat that I played with the entire festival. I always imagined being a farmer in the 1800s and fishing for food in the pond then taking the fish and cooking it in the Farmhouse. Or making soap in the Springhouse while watching the children playing in the stream. Or cooking a large meal for my family in the kitchen. Or being a safe place that celebrates Native Americans and a home that encourages advancements. The Springhouse was always a fun place for me to let my imagination run.

     After the Springhouse and pond, we would make our way over to the Double Pen Barn and Cider House which weren't as interesting to me as a kid. My grandma enjoyed it though, so I just followed along. The Double Pen Bar had farming equipment from the 1800s set up as props for the public. Sometimes, a guide would provide information about how the equipment was used and how it was made. In the Cider House, there was plastic apples placed around and some of the equipment that Johnston used was still there.

     Then we would check out the entertainment. It varied each year. One of my favorite attractions was the herding dog show with two border collies herding sheep and ducks. Another year, there was a full rodeo exhibit. Every year, there was a petting zoo with a giant Clydesdale horse, llamas, pigs, sheep, and other farm animals. There was a hayride available throughout the festival that we would ride. One year, there was an exotic animal exhibit where you could pet the animals they brought out and pay to hold some of the baby animals. My brother, my cousin, and I got a picture together of us holding a lion cub. At the time, I was just excited to hold it, but now I understand how harmful these types of operations are to wild animals.

     There was a lot for kids to do. There was a tent converted into a giant candy shop that had barrels set up as tables for checkers. The candy was sold at a bar where you could buy it by the bag full and buy glass bottles of root beer. There was another tent devoted to crafts. We made jewelry or sand bottles or painted. Another small building was used by the Girl Scouts. Troop members dressed up in old style skirts and dresses and helped children make wax candles by melting crayons and dipping string into the buckets of melted crayons. They also helped kids make tin punch drawing. They had small pieces of tin with a picture taped over it. Along the lines of the pictures were holes to place your nail over and then to hammer into the tin. After making the holes, there was markers to color the tin. Every year, I worked and made a candle and tin drawing, even as a teenager.

     After making crafts, we would check out the various shops set up. Most of the vendors also stayed at the campsite and dressed up. They held axe throwing competitions and knife throwing competitions which most of the campers participated in. There was an old schoolhouse that was built for the festival where educators would teach children about Native Americans or local animals. The educators would invite local Native Americans in to talk about their ancestry and practices. I always enjoyed them the most. My grandma was best friends with Mary Chambers who dressed up in traditional Native American clothing and performed dances. After, she would talk to the crowd about Native American history.

     We would eat next which was pretty much the same thing every year since the vendors didn't change. The Johnston Farm Museum would be our last stop. Every single year, I would read every informational sign. The wax figures were always really interesting to look at for the intense details of each person and the shelter and pottery. Some of the pottery was actual pottery that had been used by Native Americans. We would always check out the gift shop and buy lye soap. Then we would go to my favorite part of the whole festival, the canal boat.

     After buying tickets we would make our way down to the canal. There is a small dock leading to the boat. Across the canal, you can see the two mules and the ropes that tether them to the boat. Upon boarding the boat, there's storage areas on each side of the steps. They have seating available but the sides are open so people can see. The tour guides are dressed up in common 1800s clothing and provided information about the canal. I loved watching the water move around the boat as we went through. The ropes that connected the boat and the mules would collect algae and have to be lifted out of the water to fling the algae off. The boat ride was about thirty minutes.

     Every festival I would spend the entire weekend there learning and having fun. It was a huge part of my childhood and teenage years. The Piqua Heritage Festival ended after 32 years in 2014. Johnston Farm is still an annual field trip for many of the local schools and organizations. This beautiful piece of land went from being void of large buildings to housing Native Americans to being owned by John Johnston and his family to being an historical landmark and educational resource. Large farmhouses were built. Grassy areas were cut down to make roads and parking lots. Trees were removed to build the canal. Over 300 years has made a huge impact on the land and its usage to people. The canal and pond brought aquatic life to the land, while the destruction of trees and land forced animals out. Growing up and becoming an adult means realizing that these places that you hold in your heart as good memories might have negative consequences that diminish those memories, but accepting that and striving for that balance is what adults do. I will forever miss the Piqua Heritage Festival and the memories that I created there with family that is no longer here.

Above is a picture of myself in front of my cousin’s campsite. This picture was taken around 2003 by my grandmother.
Above is a picture of myself in front of my cousin’s campsite. This picture was taken around 2003 by my grandmother.

References

Johnston Farm and Indian Agency. 2020. Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://www.johnstonfarmohio.com/index.php

All pictures in the photo gallery were found on the above site.

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