The Guest Exhibition in July 2013 featured butter churns from the collection of Sam Conklin and Luanne Bailey. Their extensive collection included tabletop cream separators as well as a variety of of antique barrel churns made of wood stave construction with metal bands to hold the staves in place. These were among the earliest type of churns because most villages had a barrel maker. The barrel shape was also very efficient because it left no areas where the cream was not churned. Although some churns were fancier than others, with painted designs and colors, they all worked basically the same—inside was a wooden cylinder with paddles that were turned by a crank to agitate the cream. Regardless of the type of churn that was used, the process remained the same. To learn more about how butter was made, click here.
