We are now heading out toward the old homestead, it'll take a few minutes so sit back and enjoy the view.
Our first stop is at the original homestead which we think was built in the early 1900's or maybe even the late 1800's. Even though it looks very run down, the structure is quite sound and just needs a little love.
As we step inside, you'll notice that the house is made of logs cut from trees right off the property and homemade lye plaster used to hold them together. The floor was probably dirt and then the family installed boards for flooring. You are looking at the first floor, which is made up of two rooms accessed by the door under the stairs and a small room that was added in the back. At some point, electricity was run out to the home, but there is no evidence of indoor plumbing. However, there is a spring fed well down by the creek that was used for water. Now, take a moment to imagine that the year is 1912 and you are just coming in from working the field. Can you feel the warmth of the wood burning stoves and smell the fresh vegetable stew simmering on the stove?
We are now going to take a walk outside and see the family cemetery. The cemetery is hidden in a grove of cedar trees just a few steps from the house. It is filled with stone grave markers, some of which have writing etched in them. Of the few grave markers that have writing, the oldest is dated 1914. Just below the hill to the east, hidden at the edge of the woods, we will see another small cemetery with stone grave markers but no writing. Now let's hop back on the hay wagon and take a ride.
Pounce has already taken the liberty of showing us how fun the creek can be. This part of the creek is at the bottom of the hill from the homestead and runs the entire length of the property. The horses enjoy drinking and splashing in this part of the creek too.
Hold on tight as we make our way around the pasture, it gets a little bumpy over towards the pond. This past summer, we stocked it with large mouth bass, bream, catfish and fathead minnows. Hopefully, there'll be some good fishing next summer. The pond was originally dug about 30 years ago for cows. After a little cleanup, it'll be a great place to hang out during the warm days of spring and summer. Hang on, we're almost done with the tour.
Welcome to what we call "Shed Row". Shed Row includes The Coop, a couple of storage sheds and the tobacco barn. Come on in to the tobacco barn and have a look around. As you look up, you will notice logs across the top which are used for hanging the tobacco leaves after harvest for drying before they are taken to market. We use it as our hay barn.
Thank you for coming to visit, we hope you had fun and learned a little history along the way. Plan on coming back and seeing us again real soon.