The farm was first created by Joseph Phillips, a blacksmith, who purchased 125 acres (51 ha) from William Bryant in 1732. By 1800, Henry Phillips, Joseph's son, had enlarged the farm by 100 acres (40 ha). Henry served as a captain in the Hunterdon County Regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. An inventory of the farm on his death in 1805 listed two teams of oxen, two slaves, a Rockingham colt, and the flax in the ground. The current buildings on the property date to the 19th century, primarily before the American Civil War.[3] The final private owner of the farm was the Howell family, who donated the land to Mercer County in 1974 for use as a museum.
The museum shows farm life from the year 1900.[6] The farm is owned by Mercer County and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission with the support and assistance of The Friends of Howell Living History Farm.[7]
