The Hanley farmstead with its ten buildings gives visible form to the characteristics of a late 19th and 20th century working family farm. It is unique to the area in that it retains the integrity to that period and the function of a family farm. Hanely Farm represents the quintessential American family farm dream. A dream that is steeped in our culture, as the farms of our children’s books, the farms of our grandparent’s childhood, the picket fences, quilts on a clothes line, kitchen gardens and home canned jam. The centerpiece of this arrangement of buildings is of course the gleaming white two-story Classic Revival Style farmhouse completed in 1875, framed in local hand-hewn and rough-milled sugar pine. As you ascend the quarried slab steps you can almost feel the pain and sweat of the men that placed these substantial stones.

This farm has a lot to share with the interested public, much of which is connecting the public with our agrarian history. Each visitor has his or her own idea of what that looks and feels like; for some it is the lifestyle, the self-sufficiency or the romance, for some tractors or horsepower, for others the gardens and crops, and for yet another it is the tangible, the farmstead and its buildings.

The exciting thing about this farm is it is not just old dusty images and memories, it is here and now, ready to become our farm, to keep our agrarian tradition alive as our community redefines a locally based community farm.

Hanley Farm is this community’s farm it was donated to the Southern Oregon Historical Society in 1982 for the purpose of educating the public about agriculture.  The historical society, once funded almost entirely by Jackson County, now receives no county funding and is working to find its footing during these difficult economic times.  The intention is to make Hanley Farm a self-sustaining farm that illustrates the importance of the region's agricultural roots. To become involved in this effort, contact Allison Weiss, director@sohs.org, for volunteer opportunities or visit the website  www.sohs.org to become a member.