Tour of historic barns is Memorial Day
By MARILYN JONES
Contributing writer
The Peabody Historical Society is offering the public a visit to some of our greatest historical treasures — the vanishing grand old barns! The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 28 and will leave from Peabody-Burns High School. Arrangements have been made to visit the Townsend Ranch stone barn on U.S.-50, now owned by Clay and Roni White of Red Rock, Ariz. An entire book on this 1887 barn was written by the late Carl Hansen (available from the historical society). This treasure is still in use as a barn although pigs no longer live at the lower level.
Robert Sellers' stone barn also was built in 1887, at the cost of $1,200. W.H. Sellers was one of many Civil War veterans to come to Kansas where land was available cheaply through the Santa Fe Railroad and veterans' benefits.
Many barns were built by the early Mennonite settlers along what is now Meadowlark Road in Butler County. Pat Regier, DVM, works hard to keep up the barn his grandfather built in 1920. Up the road to the north are barns built by Gustav Regier's brother about the same time Gustav was building Pat's barn. These barns currently are owned by the Bud Schwindt family. An elegant barn is maintained under the name of Oaklawn Vue Dairy although it no longer operates as a dairy. This barn is owned by the Delbert Wiebe family.
The Emmaus Church has graciously allowed us to use their restroom facilities and a location for serving lemonade and cookies to the travelers. A peek inside this historic church would not be amiss.
Milford Ediger's barn is notable for its historic past but not in the livestock world. Hear Milford tell stories of an old bootlegger. This barn is 110 years old.
Coming on back toward Peabody, a stop will be made at the Westbrook barn (the Litton estate) where Shreves Avery will tell all sorts of interesting facts about the generations of Westbrooks who played such an important part in horse racing and breeding history in very early-day Peabody.
The Jones Sheep Farm octagonal barn was built 25 years ago as a lambing barn. The Amish doors lay horizontally as south windows and the cupola which provides light and ventilation are features which have made this design very suitable for the farm. There also are a number of working windmills nearby.
Space is limited. Transportation will be provided by the school bus system of USD 398 and its expert drivers. The Peabody-Burns High School sophomore class traditionally offers a meal, open to the public, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day. The meal is at the high school. The tour will last approximately five hours and each site will have a guide to answer questions.
Reservations are necessary and may be made by sending a $15 non-refundable contribution to Peabody Historical Society. Reservations may be mailed to Pauline McPheeters, treasurer, 206 Maple, Peabody, or Marilyn Jones, 1556 E. 59, Peabody. For more information call McPheeters at 620-983-2563 or Jones at 620-983-2815 or Kristen Hooper, Main Street coordinator at Peabody City Hall, 620-983-2174.
A good barn was a reflection of a good farmer. Stability and prosperity were shown in the family barn. Today, modern, efficient buildings of steel with no heart or soul have largely replaced that icon of a good farmer. There are no horses to eat hay thrown down from the hay mow, no rope swings for kids to swing down into the soft hay, no place for the old cat to have kittens nor chickens to hide nests in the barn. Now is a chance to experience a bit of yesterday — it may be gone tomorrow.
