by Renee Mizar
MAC Communications Coordinator
The Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley examines the changing nature of pre-World War II valley farming in “Farms & Barns: 1917 to 1935,” a history exhibit opening Friday, July 22, at the MAC Exhibit Center, 175 W. Cedar St.
The Sequim Dairy, shown here in 1927, home-delivered pasteurized and bottled milk. Photo from the L. Myron Spath Collection, Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim Dungeness Valley.
Through the use of farming-related artifacts, historical research and historical photographs of Sequim-Dungeness Valley barns, many of which still exist, the exhibit highlights how scientific and technological advancements, and the national economic climate, impacted area farmers in the years leading up to World War II.
“The big machines came in, but the Great Depression kept people from being able to buy them. They were so self-sufficient and maintained the standard of living they’d had before,” said MAC history exhibits coordinator Lyn Fiveash.
“There was also a lot of experimentation with crops, testing out what could and couldn’t be grown here.”
This exhibit marks the second installment in the center’s ongoing “Farms & Barns” exhibit series, which chronicles the changing nature of valley farming over the past 100 years. The first installment, which debuted in January, highlighted pre-1917 Sequim-Dungeness Valley agriculture.
The evolving “Farms & Barns” exhibit will be added to every several months leading up to the Sequim Centennial celebration in 2013. The next installment will spotlight valley agriculture from 1936-1960.
Through its many rotating local history exhibits, the Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley continues its mission of serving as the steward of Sequim’s cultural heritage.
The MAC Exhibit Center is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, except for the last Sunday each month. For more information, call the MAC Exhibit Center at 683-8110 or visit www.macsequim.org.
