Farm Restoration - The Beginning

I've just returned from Minnesota, where the restoration of the original homestead has begun. Obviously, it will be slow at first, and as time and finances allow, this place will be brought back to life.

Pictured here is the house I returned to from being born at a local hospital, in March of 1966. We lived there until 1973, when we moved into a new house my parents built on the farm.

They actually moved there in 1963, and fixed up the partially failing house then. There is much to tell about this old house. We think it was built in the 1890's. Some of the hardwood flooring taken up by my folks about 10 years ago indicated a date of 1896 from a local mill. That's about all I know at this point. The 160 acre farm was homesteaded in the 1880's (we think) and that seems to be when the old barn was built; but more on that later.

In the 1940's the farm was bought by my Mother's uncle, who farmed it for about 10-12 years. My mom visited often as a child, and has many good memories. The farm left the family then, and changed hands a few times before my dad happened upon it while on a business trip to the area in 1961. While describing it to my mom on the phone, she said it sounded like her uncle's farm, but my dad didn't think it was. He bought it, and rented it out for a couple of years, and then moved the family (2 boys and a girl, and my mom) there in '63.

Imagine the surprise as my mother drove up the drive for the first time, realizing that she was going to be living in the house she visited as a child...

We lived in the house and farmed the farm until 1973, when the new house was built. The older children beginning to move away from the farm, the need for such a large home was past. The house was rented to various tenants until about 1988 or so, and has sat empty, slowly decaying until now.

The old brick farmhouse is one of many like it in the area, and the bricks all came from a now defunct old town appropriately named, "Brickton." Must have been a good brickmaker and salesman there.... Anyway, as you will see in subsequent posts, this house is in very poor condition, having sat vacant for so long.

It is with fear and trepidation that we undertake the repairs of such magnitude, but in reality, if you can get past the initial shock of rotting wood, and plaster falling all about, the structure is relatively sound. In my view, the challenge will be in the wiring and plumbing and heating phases.

Temporarily, we will live in a trailer house (excuse me "Manufactured Home") that has been placed near this old house, but is not in the picture. There's a fair bit of prep work needed on the trailer as well, but should be made livable in a few days, and will be ready for winter of next year in time.

Good Farmer John

09:21 - 2006-Mar-8 - post comment

Home

Who says you can't go home again? It sounds like work, but well worth it. I went house shopping today. Looks like we might temporarily be in a "manufactured home" until we can build. We've decided to build without taking out any loans.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Rhonda

borderling - 05:53 - 2006-Mar-8

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