Agricultural Exhibit & Gardens

Permanent Exhibit

Outdoor

The historic gardens surrounding the Museum and J. Gilbert Smith House feature several beautiful towering oak trees, lovely garden plantings and displays of agricultural equipment in use during our early orchard era.

About the Exhibit

In the outdoor exhibit, “Transforming the Land,” with new interactive signage thanks to generous support from Museum members, visitors will see a sulfur drying shed, trays for drying apricots, our newly gifted Blenheim apricot tree, as well as a rebuilt tractor similar to the one that Mr. Smith used in his acres of apricot orchards. Within this area is the refurbished 1915 tank house, a three-hole outhouse, antique farm equipment, and the first Wizard Walnut Huller built long ago by the Los Altos Formway Machine Shop, a manufacturing firm once located on Almond Avenue.

In the adjacent Los Altos Heritage Orchard, just outside the back door of the library visitors will notice the Pop-Up Pollinator Garden, planted by interns of the Museum’s Orchard Commons Committee. This mini-garden is designed to attract pollinator insects.