MOO News issue VIII - Summer 2026

From the President….


Our open weekends have been so much fun in 2026.  We had good turnout for Heritage week in June despite the warm, humid weather.  Farm Tour weekend in July with spectacular weather had 317 visitors. 317!  The most visitors we have ever had on one day. There were also quite a few visitors to our table at May’s Gaithersburg Book Festival, some who had never heard of the MOOseum before.


Our next special event, the last for the 2026 season, is this fall: Saturday, October 17th is our Fall Festival with lots of fall themed decorations, exhibits and face painting from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.   The MOOseum’s last day of operation for 2026 is Saturday, October 31. 

 

The MOOseum will be open on Saturdays to the public from 10 am to 3 pm through August and then switches to 10 am – 2 pm on Saturdays after Labor Day.


Ever see a real, live cow up close?  We are often asked if we have live cows at the MOOseum, which we don’t because no one lives at the MOOseum to take care of the cows.  Take time this summer from August 14 – August 22 to see real live cows up close at the Montgomery Fair Grounds in Gaithersburg for the 77th Agriculture Fair billed as “The 9 Best Days of Summer!”  More information about the Fair can be obtained at www.mcagfair.com.

Please encourage your like-minded friends, to sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the home page on the MOO’s website. Also, let us know topics you would like to learn more about by sending us an email.  Your input helps greatly in our mission of sharing with you all the rich dairy history of MoCo.


- Peg Donnellan

Calendar 2026

King Barn Dairy MOOseum 2026  


The MOOseum will be open regular hours for the 2026 season:


 May through August 10 am - 3 pm
and September through October 10 am - 2 pm


FALL FESTIVAL
Saturday, October 17, 2026 10:30am to 12.30pm

Last day of operation for 2026 is Saturday, October 31, 2026 



We look forward to welcoming one and all to join us soon and share
our story of the regions dairy history.



ARTIE JAY FARM

The Last MoCo Dairy Farm Shipping Grade A Milk to Local Grocery Stores

January 2026’s snow storm which left the area covered in “snowcrete” had an impact on the dairy history of Montgomery County (MoCo). Arthur Johnson, of Dickerson’s Artie Jay Farm, stopped milking his cows on January 28, 2026 because of a knee injury he received during that storm. Why is this impactful? Artie Jay Farm was the last MoCo dairy farm shipping Grade A milk to be sold in local grocery stores. There is now one dairy farm left in MoCo - Brown Cow Creamery in Mt Airy which sells cheese, ice cream and processes Grade A milk from their cows, but do not ship milk for drinking.


In the 20th Century the dairy industry was a major economic engine for MoCo, with the majority of dairy farms shipping Grade A milk. Many factors have played out in the decline of dairy farming, including land that became more valuable for houses than cows. You can learn more about this by visiting the King Barn Dairy MOOseum in South Germantown Recreation Park & MD SoccerPlex. It is the mission of the MOOseum is to keep this rich history alive for residents and visitors and to honor the many dairy families of MoCo.



Members of the MOOseum’s Map & Research Committee have researched those dairy farms and created this graph which easily shows you the changes in dairy farms over the last few decades.

Today we honor Arthur Johnson, the last MoCo dairy farmer who shipped Grade A milk which was sold in Giant stores. Arthur Johnson was born in Cedar Grove, MD on January 24, 1942. His wife Margaret (Peggy) Dayhoff was born in Dickerson, MD, on May 23, 1942 and she passed on April 8, 2025. Both Arthur and Peggy came from generations of farming families. They married on August 1, 1964 and farmed on 106 acres west of Mt. Ephraim Road and an additional 75 acres east of Mt Ephraim Road in Dickerson. The farm land came through the Dayhoff family.

Google map view of Artie-Jay Farm

Artie-Jay Farm


Arthur and Peggy began milking Holstein cows in 1971 in a 59-stanchion cow barn.  Milking was a family affair with their children – Robert, Kathy and Lisa – not only raised on the farm, they milked the cows as well. 


All 100 cows the Johnson’s milked were registered Holsteins.  The Johnson’s were members of the MD-VA Milk Producers Association and their milk was sold at Giant stores in this area.  They showed their cows at the MoCo Fair, the MD State Fair and the Harrisburg Fair in PA.  They were active in the dairy community.


Farmers like the Johnsons not only milk their cows, they raise crops to feed the cows and to sell.  The Johnson’s raised wheat, corn, hay, barley and soybeans on their property.  Farming takes a lot of work and Arthur loved it, working well into his 80’s even after his dear Peggy passed, and milked cows for 55 years.


                                                                                                                                                                  Google Map arial view of Artie-Jay Farm
Family portrait of the Arthur and Peggy Dayhoff Johnson family:

Learn more about other MoCo dairy families in our Library/Research room

The MOOseum has a number of interesting stories of MoCo dairy families in our library/research room.  You can send an email to dairymooseum@aol.com to make arrangements to come in and read these stories about a way of life that was once common and loved by many people.


Our best to Kevin and Laurie Savage and their family on keeping dairy alive in MoCo with Brown Cow Creamery.  Looking for tasty cheese, ice cream and milk? Drive up Rte. 27 north of Damascus to Mt Airy can get some delicious dairy items from the Savages at Brown Cow Creamery.

The non-profit King Barn Dairy MOOseum


Housed in that long barn through a successful private-public partnership with M-CNNP/Montgomery Parks, the MOOseum is active in preserving the history of dairy farms in Montgomery County Maryland . The mission of the MOOseum is to keep the rich dairy history of MoCo alive for residents and the many out of state visitors to South Germantown Recreation Park. 


The MOOseum has a multitude of exhibits on all things dairy – a herd of cows from breeds milked in MoCo, cow models to milk, and information and artifacts on the transportation of milk, the life of dairy farmers and the history of where the 600+ dairy farms were in MoCo.  Children enjoy the old-fashioned, outside games, making cow themed crafts, playing with farm toys, hearing stories about farmers, and learning exactly where milk comes from.


We invite you to explore the MOOseum and encourage those interested to come and visit us during our open season, which runs from May to October annually. For the latest details on special events, please check our website.

MOO News issue VII - Spring 2026

April 27, 2026
From the President…. The Board of Directors and I are so very happy to see spring arrive this year! This winter felt awfully long, especially with the King Barn encased in “snowcrete” for weeks on end! The MOOseum will be opening on Saturdays to the public on May 2nd . There are quite a few school groups and community groups signed up for special tours in May and later this summer. Our new exhibit on How To Milk a Cow has expanded hands on experiences for our visitors and is the topic of this newsletter. The MOOseum has three major special events coming up in 2026: Heritage weekend on Saturday, June 27th from 10 am – 4 pm Farm Tour weekend on Saturday, July 25th from 10 am – 3 pm Fall Festival on Saturday, October 17th from 10 am – 2 pm. As we get closer to these events, please check our website and King Barn Dairy MOOseum on Facebook for more details. Planning to attend the Gaithersburg Book Festival on Saturday, May 16 th in Bohrer Park? Look for a MOOseum table with traveling exhibits. Please encourage your like-minded friends, to sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the home page on the MOO’s website. Also, let us know topics you would like to learn more about by sending us an email. Your input helps greatly in our mission of sharing with you all the rich dairy history of MoCo.
In 1964 at the Montgomery County fair Retirement’s Marjean my Guernsey heifer won Jr Champion and th

MOO News issue VI - Winter 2026

January 26, 2026
From the President…. Welcome to the King Barn Dairy MOOseum, MOO News. The King Barn exhibits have been covered for the winter and the King Barn is very quiet. Although no visitors are currently touring the barn, this is the season that folks are arranging for spring group tours. Please be in touch to make arrangements for your group. We thought it would be interesting to share with you what it was like to grow up on a MoCo dairy farm in the middle of the twentieth century. Advisory Board member Putt Willett did just that and has shared his experiences below. Putt, a retired administrator from Anne Arundel County Public Schools, is active not only with the MOOseum but also with the Maryland Agricultural Council. He and his wife Nancy operate a Century Farm in Laytonsville, Maryland. Please encourage your like-minded friends, to sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the home page on the MOO’s website. Also, let us know topics you would like to learn more about by sending us an email. After all, our mission is to share with you all the rich dairy history of MoCo.

MOO News issue V - Fall 2025

September 30, 2025
From the President…. Since I not only was a student for years, but a teacher and educator as well, Fall always feels exciting because of new beginnings. The MOOseum Board of Directors feels that way, too, tinged by the knowledge that soon the MOO will be closed for the winter. The MOOseum is housed in a 1930 long barn and it lacks heat as well as air conditioning…believe me it gets cold in there in the winter. The 2025 open season has been wonderful! By the end of September we have had over 2,300 visitors, with one more month to go. We like to celebrate this season with a final special event – our Fall Festival held on Saturday, October 11th this year. There are special, spooky decorations, fall displays about what happened on the farm during that season, a scavenger hunt with prizes, and face painting from 11 am – 1 pm, and, of course, candy! Everyone is encouraged to come in costumes and we hope to have some parades in and around the barn. Listed below is our flyer about the Fall Festival – and since a picture is worth a 1000 words – pictures from previous years showing how much fun our docents and visitors have had at this event. A little history about the Fall Festival : our first student service learner (SSL) who started in the summer of 2010 when she was going into 6th grade, and who continued working with us through middle school, high school, college and into her working career was the MOO member who advocated for a special fall event. Her enthusiasm was contagious and she finally won the Board over to scheduling this special event which has become a highlight for all of us. So, please come and join us on Saturday, October 11th from 10 am – 2 pm for a joyful celebration of all that is Fall at the MOOseum!

MOO News issue IV - Summer 2025

July 1, 2025
From the President…. The MOOseum has had a fantastic beginning to the 2025 open season. There have already been 1,609 visitors to the MOO in May and June. On Heritage Weekend alone, 118 visitors came to check out our exhibits and hear presentations on Cow and Climate Change and the history of Irvington Farm/King Farm community. We hope to see you visit this year. Please encourage your like-minded friends, to sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the home page on the MOO’s website. Also, let us know topics you would like to learn more about by sending us an email. Your input helps greatly in our mission of sharing with you all the rich dairy history of Montgomery County (MoCo.) When I think of summer, I think of family reunions with all their fun and connections. Although there are currently only two working dairy farms left in Montgomery County out of the hundreds that existed in the twentieth century, there are many residents with deep family ties to former MoCo dairy farms. Since the MOOseum opened in 2010, farm families have been holding family reunions at the MOOseum when their farm was the Featured Farm of the Month. Below is Board member Suzanne Gartner’s story about her farm family reunion held at the MOOseum in September 2022. I hope you enjoy reading about her experience. Make sure you come out to the MOOseum this summer to learn more about Montgomery County Dairy Farms.

MOO News issue III - Spring 2025

April 22, 2025
From the President….  The Board of Directors and I are so very happy to see spring finally here! This winter felt awfully long, especially with those bitterly cold temperatures in January and snow that just stayed around way too long. The MOOseum will be opening on Saturdays to the public in just a few short weeks with the first Saturday May 3. There are quite a few school groups and community groups signed up for special tours in May and later this summer. We can’t wait to see how our new exhibit on How To Milk a Cow is received by our visitors. Our goal was to make this exhibit more hands-on with easy to read explanations. Currently, work continues on the exhibit; it appears, however, that is will be ready for our opening weekend. During the MOOseum’s open season we have three very special events. In this newsletter we want to share information about these 2025 events. We hope to see you at them this year. Please encourage your like-minded friends, to sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the home page on the MOO’s website. Also, let us know topics you would like to learn more about by sending us an email . Your input helps greatly in our mission of sharing with you all the rich dairy history of MoCo.

MOO News issue II - Winter 2025

January 13, 2025
From the President... Welcome to the King Barn Dairy Newsletter, MOO News. The King Barn exhibits have been covered for the winter. Although no visitors are currently touring the barn, this is the season that folks are arranging for spring group tours. Please be in touch to make arrangements for your group. In this issue, we thought it would be interesting to share with you how the Map & Research Committee identifies where past MoCo dairy farms existed. A big thank you to members Bill Duvall, Shelley Herron, Rich Rowe, and Chris & Howard Williams for your dedicated work. Please encourage your like-minded friends, to sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of Moo's website. Also, let us know topics you would like to learn more about by sending us an email . After all, our mission is to share with you all the rich dairy history of MoCo.

MOO News issue I - 3rd Quarter 2024

August 27, 2024
From the President... Welcome to the NEW King Barn Dairy Newsletter, MOO News. Over the course of time, this newsletter will share with readers information about the exhibits in the MOOseum, the history of dairy farms and farmers, and any current events or happenings in and around the MOOseum. Please encourage your like-minded friends, to sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the home page on the MOO’s website. Also, let us know topics you would like to learn more about by sending us an email . After all, our mission is to share with you all the rich dairy history of MoCo.