Celebrating a heritage of farming
By Melody Brown-Peyton
Published in News on June 18, 2018 7:36 AM
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Andy Bennett helps Jacob Moore, agriculture student at N.C. State University, shear a sheep during Saturday on the Farm at the Charles B. Aycock Birthplace. The sheep are sheared once a year to help keep them cool during the summer months.
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People relax in the shade near the vintage tractor display at the Charles B. Aycock Birthplace during the annual Saturday on the Farm event.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Vintage tractors, brought in by collectors, are set up for Saturday on the Farm at the Charles B. Aycock Birthplace.
FREMONT -- Sheep shearing, log splitting and vintage tractors brought to life the days of old when farming was a way of life during the Saturday on the Farm at the Charles B. Aycock Birthplace.
The Eastern Carolina Vintage Farmer Equipment Club took visitors back in time with several bright red vintage tractors on display during the event, which celebrates 19th century farm heritage.
The birthplace is the homestead of former Gov. Charles B. Aycock, known as a strong supporter of education. As governor, from 1901 to 1905, he supported the building of 690 new schoolhouses, increased teacher salaries and longer school terms.
Ray Porter, a member of the Eastern Carolina Vintage Farmer Equipment Club, said that Aycock was known as an education governor for all children.
Saturday on the Farm provided visitors with hot dogs, hamburgers, soft drinks and water. The sunny weather made for a day of family fun.
Parents brought their children in to explore and learn the history of one of North Carolina's well-known and beloved governors. Vintage farm equipment was on display for visitors to see up close the equipment used during the 19th century.
Guided tours of a one-room schoolhouse and Aycock's homestead were provided. Aycock was the youngest of 10 children.
Leigh Strickland, Charles B. Aycock Birthplace site manager, said that the Aycock family had 1,000 acres of land, including 300 acres of farmland.
During the tour of the one-room classroom, visitors had the opportunity to see how children were taught in 1893 along with the list of 47 class rules they had to follow.
One teacher taught first through seventh grade, and students only went to school during the winter months. Other times of the year were spent helping out on the family farm. The school was known as Oak Plains School and, on average, 50 students attended class each day.
An iron heater sits in the center of the classroom, as wood was chopped by older male students. The wooden desks students used remain in place today, along with the chalkboard the teacher wrote on and the hard wood floors.
Visitors were also given a guided tour of the childhood home of Aycock. Inside the larger home was the family's living quarters. A smaller home, known as the kitchen area, was where meals were prepared. It also served as the location where the Aycock family ate their meals.
In the back area of the house is the outhouse and the slaughterhouse.
Frankie Vinson, Eastern Carolina Vintage Farmer Equipment Club president, said he was disappointed that more people didn't take part in the activities Saturday, even though participation has remained constant during the past six years at Saturday on the Farm events.
The group has adopted the annual event as their club day, Vinson said.
"We decided that, if nothing else took place here during this time, we were going to be here," he said.
The event is a time the group sets aside to give back to the community. Even though Vinson no longer tends a farm, farming is part of his heritage.
One of the reasons farming is less common for North Carolina families is because of the expense and inability to find people interested in the work. Farming has become more mechanical, with a greater reliance on equipment and machinery.