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history of barns

Milky Way Farm has been owned and operated as a dairy farm in the Matthews Family since 1902, although it has been a farmstead since the 1760’s. Before European settlement, we believe Native Americans lived here and grew crops on this land. There are many water springs which the Native Americans could have utilized for drinking water, and arrowheads have been found on the hill near the farmhouse.

The farmstead consists of 103 acres of land. The existing field stone buildings on the property were built between 1790 and 1823. The two-story spring house was built in the 1790’s to protect the spring as the drinking water source on the first floor and provide storage and extra living quarters upstairs.

   Spring House, circa 1790's 

Tax records indicate that the barn and house were built in the early 1820’s. The house and the barn share similar style of support pillars indicative of the buildings built during that era in Chester County. The barn was built into the side of a hill facing south and commonly referred to as a bank barn which is typical in Pennsylvania. Bank barns enable equipment to be driven and stored in both levels of the barn. The farm received its current name, Milky Way Farm, from Frances Matthews who noticed on a summer night in 1947 the unusually bright stars of the Milky Way galaxy and determined the name appropriate for our dairy farm.

The current generation of the Matthews family has been dairy farming and producing crops on the land since 1976. The family grows corn, oats and alfalfa hay to feed the 30 Holstein-Freisian milking cows as well as the 30 young stock of calves and heifers. Also living on the farm are sheep, pigs and chickens which provide food for the farm family. Milk from our cows is sold to Land O’ Lakes Cooperative for processing into various dairy products.

In 1986, we began growing and selling pumpkins and squash to the public in October, as well as giving farm tours to school children and families, and hosting birthday parties year-round. In this way, we share our agricultural experiences with those who do not live on a family farm. In 1997, we placed the farm in the Chester County Farmland Preservation program, enabling us to continue this family farm heritage. In 1998, we launched this website to promote understanding of dairy farming and share Milky Way Farm endeavors with the public.

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