Learn About Us

The Founding of the MOOseum and it's Organization

In the late 1960’s the James & Macie King Farm was sold to the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) with the understanding that it would become the centerpiece of a proposed regional park in an area of the county that was anticipating commercial and residential development.

About 40 years later, South Germantown Recreational Park became a reality, with the King Barn the only original farm building on the site preserved by the County. Through the efforts of the Farm’s family and friends of agriculture throughout the County a core group of organizers of the museum was developed.  In April, 2002, the Montgomery County Planning Board gave it’s unanimous approval for the MOOseum project. Once the site was defined and the original building restored, the Barn was made available by MNCPPC through a right of entry agreement. 

Federal 501-C(3) (non-profit) designation was received in June of 2003, and the MOOseum has been a Registered Charity in the State of Maryland since May 2004

The MOOseum is a volunteer-based organization, with no paid employees.

We are governed by a Board of Directors which meet monthly.
We have an Advisory Board comprised of individuals from the business, government, educational and farming communities. 

Funding for the MOOseum is provided through private donations and grants. We have established an Endowment Fund to support the future financial health of the organization.

The Montgomery County Department of Parks, the State of Maryland and the Montgomery County Council have all contributed to provide the necessary funding for making required safety and public access/assembly modifications to the building. Construction was completed and the MOOseum received it's "right of occupancy" permit on June 17, 2010.

What We Offer

Our MOOseum is fun and educational!

The MOOseum Barn features:

• Visitor's center with maps and brochures of the MOOseum and it's grounds
• Display of collections of dairy-related artifacts & equipment directly related to production, processing and sale of milk and milk products 
• Displays and demonstrations relating to dairy herds, milk, and milk products.
• Research Room and Library with related videos, and home for related publications, the gathering of oral histories from area residents involved in dairying and related businesses
• Educational programs for all ages, with emphasis on telling the story of milk production to the County’s children.
• Special Events with live animals, story telling and demonstrations, such as milking, cream separation, butter, ice cream and cheese-making
  

In 1913 James and Macie King purchased a 350 acre farm in between Germantown and Boyds, Maryland from the Lyddane family, and moved in shortly after their marriage. Over time, as their family grew, the farm flourished as part of the dairy boom that brought wealth to Montgomery County in the Twentieth Century.

The majority of buildings that were part of the original farm were lost in a disastrous fire in 1926. It consumed the farm-site, including an 18th century wood-frame pegged bank barn, a 19th century farmhouse, and three tenant houses.  In all, thirteen buildings were destroyed.  Rebuilding began almost immediately, with James and Macie building a modern four-square home, followed by a bank barn and added other outbuildings. Finally, in 1930, a cement block, 72 stanchion dairy barn, considered "state of the art" in its day, was constructed.  Following the death of James King in 1958, Mrs. King and her son briefly managed the farm before finally selling it in 1962.

The farm was eventually purchased by Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The land and farmstead were by that time part of a larger parcel being set aside as green space on the edge of the County’s new Agricultural Reserve. In 1999, with the encouragement and financial assistance of corporate and individual supporters of youth soccer programs, the land was finally developed by the Montgomery County Department of Parks into the South Germantown Recreational Park and Maryland Soccerplex.

The farm buildings had deteriorated over the years. The house and other buildings were in disrepair and slated for demolition. The large dairy barn, although damaged, was solidly built and through citizen efforts it was preserved as a meaningful landmark reminding visitors to the park of the area’s dairy heritage. The exterior restoration, which included the construction of new replicas of the original silos, was completed and the official "Topping Off" ceremony was held in January 2001 as the new concrete silo covers were lifted into place by a huge crane.
 

In late June of 2010 the first visitors were invited into the Barn.  On October 23, 2010 the MOOseum celebrated it's opening season with an Official Ribbon Cutting Celebration.