McCormick Farm Visitor Information

Hours:
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Open daily all year with free admission

Directions:

From Lexington take US 11 North to State Route 606
or Interstate 81 to Exit 205

Center office:
(540) 377-2255

The Walnut Grove Farm stayed in the McCormick family until 1954, when it was donated to Virginia Tech. Donations to the Farm Memorial (through the Virginia Tech Educational Foundation) are welcome and are tax-deductible. Guides and volunteers are always needed.

McCormick Farm Landmarks

  1. Grist Mill
  2. Blacksmith Shop/Museum
  3. Relocated Slave Quarters
  4. Carriage House
  5. Manor House
  6. Smoke House
  7. Schoolroom
  8. Housekeepers Quarters
  9. Site of Ice House
  10. Orginial Site of Slave Quarters

Grist Mill
Last utilized for grinding wheat in 1931, the grist mill is believed to date prior to 1800. Its typical overshot wheel, generating about 17 horsepower, is propelled by water from the pond across the road.

Blacksmith Shop and Museum
The blacksmith shop's lower level contains the original forge on which the farm implements were made and repaired, and on which Cyrus first planned reaper designs with his father, Robert. The building's upper level houses a reaper museum which contains a life-size replica of the first reaper, scale models of various later versions, and some early farm implements.

Relocated Slave Quarters
The public rest rooms are housed in a building which used to be the slave quarters. In the 1830 tax rolls, Robert was listed as owning nine slaves. The building was moved from its original location in back of the Manor House to its present location in the 1950s, and converted into public rest rooms.

Carriage House
The carriage house is not open to the public at this time.

Smoke House
The original smokehouse stands behind the manor house.

School room
Mrs. McCormick (Polly) is said to have taught many of the area children in this schoolroom. The schoolroom includes displays with pages from 1830s textbooks, woodcuts from books of the same period (which depict games children played at that time), and reproductions of period children's toys.

Housekeepers Quarters
The Housekeepers Quarters depict furnishings of the slave housekeeper of the 1830s.

Site of Ice House
The Ice House was located between the manor house and the slaves quarters. It was demolished in the 1960s.

Original Site of Slave Quarters
The slave quarters stood in this location before the 1950s, when they were moved to their present site and converted to rest rooms.

McCormick Farm Home Page