'Tools of the Trade' on Display at the Carroll County Farm Museum

A new exhibit at the  Carroll County Farm Museum is featuring woodworking tools from the private collection of Dale Benshoof, a carpenter and woodworker. Many of the tools on display date back to the early 1800s and were used in old-style furniture making.

Victoria Fowler is a personal friend of Benshoof and is also the Farm Museum staff member in charge of the exhibit. According to Fowler, the idea for the exhibit began as a “Learning Lunch” program last year, when Benshoof gave a talk on the subject of woodworking.

“We no longer offer the Learning Lunch program, but I have made some wonderful connections through the years, and several of my past guest speakers have offered to display their collections at the museum,” said Fowler.

Fowler said that for some, the exhibit is a flashback to an earlier time in life; for others, it is a learning experience about tools they have never seen before.

“It is truly amazing how many of our visitors and schoolchildren are fascinated by these old tools," Fowler said.

The collection will be displayed in the large hall case in the Farmhouse through the end of August. Enjoy the antiquity of the Farm Museum in the comfort of modern-day central air as a great respite from a hot summer day.