Little Beaver Historical Society
Northern Beaver County
Farming & Agriculture
Stories
A family legacy – W. Earl and Ada Wagoner bought the farm in Darlington, Pennsylvania in 1949. Before that it was owned for more than 100 years by the Kane family, who at one point were said to have raised one thousand head of sheep on the land. Before that, it was owned by the White family.
It eventually was taken over by one of their sons, Glenn E. Wagoner. The farm was more of a hobby during that time, as he also ran an oil company and Wagoner Home & Garden. But Glenn E. oversaw the farm’s land base growth and made sure it was there to pass on to the family members running it today. It’s been home to all manner of animals over the years: pigs, wool sheep and even white-tailed deer, and the farm has seen generations of Wagoners grow up in the woods and fields surrounding the barn.
The farm today is one again in transition. Glenn E. passed away in January 2021 at age 89. He was still helping out with farm work and bossing everyone around up until the very end. It was recently taken over by the third and fourth generation of Wagoners, Glenn L., and his son, Chris, and their wives, Janice and Rachel. Other family members still help out as needed, and the fifth generation is being raised as we speak.
The goal now is to maintain the farm’s history and family legacy while also ushering the operation into the future, so that it will still be here and viable for years to come.
Source: Tall Pines Farms website
It was formally the old McGeorge Farm until Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Francie McChesney bought it in 1940, and for the past 83 years and 3 generations it’s been the McChesney Farm. For 38 years, William McChesney has managed the farm in New Galilee, Pennsylvania. It is primarily a dairy farm, but it also produces alfalfa and the occasional family-friendly Friday night barn & square dance.
Sam Moore grew up on a family farm in Western Pennsylvania (South Beaver Township) during the late 1930s and the 1940s. Although he left the farm in 1953, it never left him. He now lives near Salem, where he tinkers with a few old tractors, collects old farm literature, and writes about old machinery, farming practices and personal experiences for Farm and Dairy, as well as Farm Collector and Rural Heritage magazines. He has published one book about farm machinery, titled Implements for Farming with Horses and Mules.
Source: Farm and Dairy Magazine
Supporting Local Farms – Buying directly from local farmers and purveyors represents significant health benefits. As seasonal produce and locally produced items are likely to be consumed soon after harvest, they offer higher nutritional value than does non-local produce, both organic and traditionally grown.
Farmers’ markets offer seasonally based foods, so the markets tend to operate more frequently during local growing seasons.
If fresh veggies and organic foods don’t quite get you excited, there are also a number of vendors who offer home-cooked meals, and some really amazing baked goods, potted plants, fresh flowers, local honey, and farm-raised meats.
With over five convenient locations, in Ambridge, Beaver, Beaver Falls, New Brighton, and Chippewa, you are sure to find something you need!
Source: Beaver County Farmers’ Markets