PIQUA — Longtime Johnston Farm & Indian Agency employee Robb Cline officially retired Aug. 9 after serving 27 years with the Ohio History Connection site.

At the time he retired, Cline was performing maintenance duties at the Johnston Farm, said a press release from Johnston Farm Friends Council President and city of Sidney Mayor Mike Barhorst.

The Johnston Farm board and staff gathered in the museum for a reception in his honor. Cline had celebrated his birthday the previous day, and was presented with a birthday card signed by staff members by Site Director Ben Richard. Richard took the opportunity to thank staff for his service to the Johnston Farm.

“I’ve only been here about a year, so I can’t speak about the majority of your time here, but certainly thank you for your efforts to keep our site in good repair and ready for visitors,” Richard said in the release.

He then invited Cline to share his most memorable story.

Cline related several. One involved the horse that is part of a static exhibit in the museum.

“The horse was part of an exhibit at the Mall,” he said, “and it was time to bring it back here. I picked it up and put it in the back of a pickup truck. I stopped at a store to pick up something we needed for a repair and when I came out, there was a lady staring at the horse.”

The lady had apparently thought the horse was real, but eventually realized it wasn’t.

He said, “She told me she couldn’t understand how the horse could stand so still and be content to ride in the back of a pickup.” The story brought a chuckle from those assembled for the reception.

Another of is several stories involved the stone mile marker that used to sit along the canal.

“It is quite heavy,” Cline said in the release. “Several of us worked and worked to get it positioned in the exhibit case. As you can see, it leans to one side. Try as we might, we couldn’t get it to sit straight. We finally decided that it looked just fine, and as you can see, no one has thought otherwise all these years later.”

Following his remarks, Barhorst presented Cline with a card signed by staff and board members and a gift certificate for Home Depot.

“On behalf of the staff and board, we thank you for your service,” Barhorst said. “I knew that you enjoyed working on projects and had my choice of three options – I just hope I picked the right one.”

Cline assured him that he made a good choice.

Barhorst then assisted Cline in cutting his retirement cake. Cake and punch were enjoyed by those in attendance, including Cline’s wife Sherry. As they ate, those in attendance continued relating stories from the Johnston Farm’s past five decades as a historic site.

The Johnston Farm & Indian Agency and the nearby Lockington Locks are owned by the Ohio Historical Society. The two sites are operated by the Jonston Farm Friends Council.

The sites celebrate 2,000 years of Ohio’s rich history through prehistoric Indians through Ohio’s canal era. The 200 acre site celebrates the life of Colonel John Johnston, who served as an Indian agent, was a canal commissioner, and a founder of Kenyon College. He also served on the board of Miami University and the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Fort Piqua, a supply depot tin the War of 1812, was located on the site. The site also served as Camp Piqua, a training camp for enlistees in the Civil War. A prehistoric Indian mound, Ohio’s oldest barn (constructed in part from logs from Fort Piqua), the Johnston family home, and a museum that trace the story of Eastern Woodland Indians are also part of the site. Additional information about the site, including hours of operation, is available online at www.johnstonfarmohio.com .