HEART'S DELIGHT FARM HERITAGE EXHIBIT
HEART'S DELIGHT
The Heart’s Delight Farm Heritage Exhibit is a permanent tribute to William and Alice Miner and the beautiful farm they developed on the Miner family homestead. The building of Heart’s Delight Farm began in 1903 and grew from a farmhouse and a couple of barns on 144 acres into a model farm of 300 structures situated on 15,000 acres. The farm utilized a scientific approach to agriculture on a vast scale, embracing hydroelectric power and technological advances to run an enterprise that employed 800 workers in its heyday. It shipped ham, sausages, eggs, and other produce to the best hotels and restaurants in New York City and Chicago.
The Exhibit not only portrays the development of Heart’s Delight Farm, but also chronicles William Miner’s youth and his career in the railroad industry. It shows innovations, such as hydroelectric power production, animal genetics, and fields brought under cultivation through the use of drain tiles. The Exhibit also illustrates the extensive philanthropy of William and Alice Miner.
In the main exhibit, which is housed in the original storehouse, visitors can learn about William’s early life and see some of the railroad inventions he patented. A large diorama depicts the buildings, animals and topography of Heart’s Delight Farm around 1910. A model of the 46-room Heart’s Delight Cottage wows visitors. Photographs of life and work at Heart’s Delight cover the walls. A 12-minute video tells the story of the young man who worked on his uncle’s old homestead, went West to make his fortune in the railroad business, and returned with his beloved Alice to build his Shangri-La, Heart’s Delight Farm.
The back room is reserved as a special exhibition space for rotating exhibits.
In the Miner institute: 100 Years and Growing Theater, visitors can watch the "Miner Institute: 100 Years and Growing" film. The video highlights the history and current state of North Country agriculture and the prominent role that Miner Institute continues to hold in the field.
The Coach House features vehicles used on Heart's Delight Farm. The vehicles on display range from rugged horse-drawn buggies and wagons, to sleighs and carriages. The highlight of the vehicle exhibit is the “International School Bus”, one of thirteen donated to the Chazy Central Rural School and maintained at Heart’s Delight Farm, courtesy of William H. Miner.
The Wayside Heritage Walk adjacent to the exhibit building offers a pleasant stroll through the gardens where panels display an abbreviated version of life at Heart’s Delight Farm. Both the Wayside Walk and the Exhibit are open to the public free of charge and are accessible.
For more information or to arrange group tours, please contact Rachel Dutil at (518) 846-7121, ext. 115.