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Cupolas Commemorates Centennial Year on White Farm
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By MARLA TONCRAY, News Editor
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WEST UNION, Ohio -- The recent placement of two cupolas atop the barns at the H.L. White & Sons farm on Ohio 41, just north of Bentonville mark the centennial anniversary of the farm and its ties to West Union and Adams County since 1908.
Eric White, the great-grandson of H.L. White now owns the farm and has been working around the property in preparation for his family's celebration of the centennial event this summer.
Eric moved to West Union in 1997 and purchased the 300-acre farm from his father and four uncles in 2000. Eric said his uncles, Doug and Tom White had worked the farm for about 20 years prior to when he bought it.
"Obviously, it was emotional to sell the family farm," Eric said of the decision his uncles, Tom, Doug, Benny and William "Bud" and his father, Malcolm faced in 2000. But Eric also said the decision to sell to someone within the family was a good compromise for everyone.
As a boy, Eric spent his summers on the farm while visiting with his family from Chicago and at the age of 26, he decided to come back permanently to the place of his family's heritage.
"This makes a great place to come back to," Eric said, obviously happy with his decision to take over the farm.
In addition to the farm, Eric also owns his own business and splits his time managing both entities; the crop land of the 300-acre farm has been leased for soybean production and Eric manages his herd of 23 horses and handful of cattle.
There was a time however, that the rolling landscape of the H.L. White & Sons farm was the center of a thriving horse trading business, crafted by Harry White and the return of horses to the property seems fitting.
According to Eric, Harry White and his wife, Malissa purchased the farm in 1908 and by 1909, the two-story farmhouse which stands today was constructed. Harry and Malissa raised their five children, Bob, Ora, Effie, William "Bill" and Tyra at the farmhouse, which is where Eric now lives.
The house has undergone some renovations and remodeling since Eric moved in and has proven to be a family gathering place at Christmas and July 4th, when the family reunion takes place and everyone participates in the construction of a float for the annual July 4th parade in West Union.
One family heirloom has made its way back to the White farm and is now back in the front parlor, but its purpose today is different than when purchased.
The heirloom is known as a "courting piano" purchased by Harry White for his daughter, Effie White (Roush). But according to family stories, Harry felt he didn't get his money's worth from the piano because Effie married the first man she courted.
But it's the landscape and the immense concrete barn bearing the keystone "1921 H.L. White & Sons" that captures your attention when you drive by and once you are on the property..
The barn stands three stories tall and is fashioned with a green Gambrel roof, which can be described as having two slopes on each side and the lower slope is steeper than the upper one.
The barn was constructed of concrete after the original wooden barn burned to the ground around 1918, leaving only the concrete and dirt ramp leading to the second story intact.
"He didn't want the barn to burn again," Eric said of his great-grandfather's decision to use concrete.
The 1921 barn was constructed with horse stalls on the ground level, cattle were housed on the second level and the third level was for hay storage. Cattle were led into the barn by way of the ramp.
A unique feature of the stalls was the use of wrought iron fencing which once adorned the lawn of the Adams County Courthouse before it burned around 1911. Pieces of the fence were used between each stall to allow ventilation and was also used to tether the horses.
During a tour of the barn, Eric pointed out each stall is big enough to house two draft horses, explaining that as a horse trader, Harry White bought and sold horses at a time when they were essential for everything from plowing fields to pulling fire engines, to basic transportation and the needs of the military during World War I.
Eric said to train the horses to work as a team, they were paired up from the time Harry brought them to the farm to when they were sold. And as a horse trader, it wasn't unusual for his great-grandfather to buy and sell anywhere from 20 to 30 horses a week.
Like any structure of its age, the barn was in need of repair and Eric has been working since early 2007 replacing the electric wiring, making repairs and enhancements to the roof line, replacing rotted support posts, rebuilding the stalls and stabilizing the exterior walls, which had spread seven inches on each side over the years.
But the major enhancement to this barn, as well as a 50-year-old tobacco barn located nearby has been the addition of a cupola to the roof top.
The octagonal shaped cupola atop the 1921 barn measures 6 feet across by 14.5 feet tall and can be accessed by climbing a spiral staircase from the second story of the barn.
Once you reach the top of the staircase, you are treated to a spectacular view of the H.L.White & Sons farmland and the surrounding countryside of Adams County.
As Eric stood looking out across his family land from the vantage point of the cupola, more than a dozen horses galloped into view from a pasture at the north end of the property to the pasture below, a reminder of days past when horses were the livelihood of Harry and Malissa White and part of a family's history for 100 years.
Returning to the house, Eric summed up his feelings about his home, family and community with a few simple words that reflect his interest in history and his family ties to Adams County.
"Those old family farms are things communities should relish and we in turn should participate in the community. I'm really proud of the place and happy to share it with people," Eric said, hinting that spectators and participants of the annual 4th of July parade should look for something special during this year's parade.
Contact Marla Toncray at marla.toncray@lee.net or 606-564-9091, ext. 275. |
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