This community effort was a theme of the center's recent grand opening celebration.
"It is the culmination of everyone's hard work," Mark Garrity, county parks administrator, said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The red, barnlike building, with its tin roof and long, covered porch, was decorated with fall trimmings of corn husks, mums and pumpkins.
The visitors center will help the park welcome school groups from all over the state who come for agricultural and environmental education.
Previously, most school groups traveled to Carroll County or elsewhere to experience what the park now offers.
"We thought, 'When would we have this in Anne Arundel County?' We have it now," County Councilwoman Cathy Vitale, R-Severna Park, said. "We want to educate people on how we used to be and how great we still are."
Kinder Farm Park, a 288-acre, 1930s-era farm, has been open since 1999. The county and the volunteer organization that supports the park, Friends of Kinder Farm Park, have been restoring and transforming several buildings.
They started construction on the visitors center in March, backed by funds that included nearly $1 million provided through Project Open Space, a state program that funds land conservation and recreation projects.
"We are proud to be back here for the dedication," County Executive John R. Leopold said.
"Thanks go to the Friends of Kinder Farm Park."
The organization has more than 100 members. Along with the many clubs and organizations that call the park home, it was responsible for the interior displays in the center.
The group has held fundraisers and logged many volunteer hours researching history and contacting families at other local farms in order to find accurate accounts of farming life.
Obtaining artifacts and photos and working with the other clubs to fill the center with exhibits also took time.
The interior of the center is filled with farming artifacts from the 1930s, including a tobacco press, tools used to harvest tobacco, and the baskets used to take the crop to market.Off the main area there is a meeting room where groups will be given demonstrations of farming life.
Outside, groups can explore the property and experience farm life through demonstrations of blacksmithing and the workings of the antique sawmill. They also can see the farm animals, which are all raised and cared for by the park's 4-H Club.
"We want to have a partnership with schools," Kinder Farm Park Superintendent Bill Offutt said. "We want to teach them about agricultural education."
The county created a master plan for Kinder Farm Park in 1994. There are still many planned improvements left undone, including restoration of the property's main house. The 1926 farmhouse would be filled with artifacts of household living from the era in which it was constructed.
"We are excited to have this beautiful facility," said Jim Rausch, president of the Friends of Kinder Farm Park. "It is a fulfillment of the dream to have a complete farm. We want it to become the focal point and centerpiece of the park."
Susan Downey writes the Olde Mill/Millersville column for the Maryland Gazette. Contact her at susandowney7@gmail.com.