Where Heritage Lives On
Visit Our Heritage Animals
At our living history museum, heritage breeds aren’t just animals – they’re storytellers. These rare livestock represent the strength, skill, and character of the farms that built our region; and you can meet them up close as they help our costumed farm staff bring historic agriculture to life. From pulling plows, to providing wool, milk, and eggs, our animals demonstrate real work their ancestors once did on family farms – and still do today.
50th Anniversary
Stay tuned to see who’s joining the farm in 2026 for GCV&M’s 50th Anniversary!
Kerry Cow
Carne is a Kerry cow, a rare and endangered breed of dairy cattle native to Ireland. Imported to the United States in 1818 and prosperous through the 19th-century, Kerry cows had become scarce by the 1930s. Today there are only a few herds in North America!
Legacy Oxen
Buck and Starr are American Milking Devons. Prized as top oxen that draw wagons and pull plows due to their sheer strength, today they are one of the rarest cattle breeds in the world and are listed as Critical by the American Livestock Conservancy.
Hog Island Sheep
Critically endangered, Hog Island sheep were brought by colonists to Hog Island off the coast of Virginia in the 17th-century. After it was evacuated in the 1930s due to hurricane events, the Nature Conservancy acquired the island in 1969 and the sheep were bought and distributed for historic preservation.
Leicester Longwool Sheep
A rare and endangered species, the fleece of the Leicester Longwool is prized by hand spinners and crafters for its curl, soft handle, and lustrous beauty.
Duroc Pigs
Chickens
The Dominique is America’s oldest recorded chicken breed, valued for its hardiness and friendly nature, while the Dorking, known for its unique fifth toe, was brought to the U.S. in 1840 and remains a threatened breed. Also threatened, the Spangled Hamburg originated in Holland, arrived before 1856, and is prized for its excellent egg production.
Cayuga Ducks
Cayuga ducks are a domesticated breed originating in the 19th-century. They have beautiful shiny black feathers with a beetle green sheen that reflects shades of deep blue or purple iridescence in sunlight. GCV&M’s flock was born in 2024 and will live for 8 – 12 years.
Geese
The American Buff is a docile goose developed in the U.S., easily recognized by its apricot coloring. The Pilgrim, a threatened breed with a distinctive grey hue, was developed in America in the 1900s, while the critically endangered Tufted Roman, originally from Italy and once sacred to a Roman goddess, was likely imported around the same time and is known for being an excellent “watchdog.”
The Legacy: Herd & Flock
We preserve historic breeds through careful, conservation-minded breeding, ensuring their unique genetics and traditions are carried into the future. From time to time, we offer select animals for sale to farms, homesteads, and families who want to become part of this preservation story. By welcoming a heritage breed into your care, you help keep these living legacies thriving for generations to come.
Please check back for available animals. For additional information, contact farm@gcv.org.
Kennard
Breed: Leicester Longwool Ram
Age: 4
Registrations: LLSBA
Known for his gentle disposition and white/grey fleece, Kennard is an excellent and reliable breeding ram. Brought to GCV&M in the summer of 2025 by a breeder in MA, his genes come from New Zealand making him vitally important for genetic diversity and the strengthening of this rare breed.
Iona
Breed: Leicester Longwool Ewe
Age: 6
Registrations: LLSBA
Suspicious and intelligent, Iona has a fully white fleece and is a full sister to Reba. Iona accompanied Kennard from MA in 2025. She is well built, known to throw twins, and has great conformation. She is the laziest out of the three ewes but does get pushy about food!
Caroline
Breed: Leicester Longwool Ewe
Age: 4
Registrations: LLSBA
Caroline is our only black-fleeced LL ewe and is also the tallest. She is friendly and outgoing, always curious of anything going on in the pastures and barns. She has sturdy feet and legs and excellent fleece quality like the other three LL. Since coming to the Museum in 2025 from MA, she has been an easy keeper – her docile and inquisitive nature is a lovely trait in such a rare, heritage breed.
Reba
Breed: Leicester Longwool Ewe
Age: 4
Registrations: LLSBA
Reba is the full sister of Iona and is also from MA. She is smaller figured than Iona and Caroline, but that does not stop her! She is the most adventurous out of the three ewes and is the most culpable to escaping. Extremely intelligent, mild-mannered, and outgoing, Reba has a sound foundation from feet, legs, and body. The only thing sharper than her looks is her brain.
Carne (Cairn)
Breed: Kerry Cow
Age: 5
Registrations: Canadian Livestock Records
Carne is a 5 year old Kerry cow who came to us from a breeder in Hoosick Falls in 2025. She is the very embodiment of heritage and carries immensely strong genetics. Her feet and legs are healthy and she has a wilder temperament that makes her an excellent forager and avid grazer. Carne is outgoing and friendly with known handlers and eagerly accepts favorite foods. She is the connection to strengthen any existing or building herds.
Ceasar
Breed: Hog Island Ram
Age: 5
Registrations: Unregistered
Known for his sturdy appearance, and quiet, alert nature, Caesar embodies the spirit of the Hog Island sheep. Easy keeper, good conformation, and a quiet, yet reliable ram in or out of a flock. Caesar came from a flock in WV with some of the ewes and is currently going through a recovery process to get him registered with the Livestock Conservancy. His genes would be an excellent addition into any breeding program.
Cinna
Breed: Hog Island Wether
Age: 2
Registrations: Unregistered
A Museum ambassador being halter trained for public teaching events, Cinna joined us from a farm in WV in 2025. He’s a sweet boy without a brain cell on him and has become beloved by visitors, students, and campers!
Hog Island Flock
Breed: Hog Island Ewes
Age: Mixed
Registrations: Mostly unregistered
GCV&M has eight Hog Island ewes ranging from 2 – 12 years old. Most of the ewes are unregistered and are currently undergoing the recovery process to become registered with the Livestock Conservancy. Half were born and raised here at the Museum and half accompanied Caesar on his journey from WV. Select breeding does happen occasionally.