LIFE RETURNS TO AN IDLE FARM

Building a New Home

In 1945 tenant farmer Kramer retired from farming ending the extended land and building lease. The property was temporarily idled. He left behind various pieces of farming tools; the boys recall playing on some of his abandoned equipment. Dean built a 36’ x 12’ [approx.] shed to store large equipment such as plows, cultivators, a corn shucker; and it housed one new piece of equipment - a 1947 John Deere Model L purchased from Tallmadge Tractor Sales.

Farm-House Living

We moved into the vacated farm house in late 1946 until competition of the new house in 1947 ... and thus began an interesting and challenging new chapter for the May family.

We left behind the comforts of a “modern” home with all of the conventional services the Village of Hudson had to offer, into a rustic, drafty old frame house in the country. It was a magical time for all of us. For the next year we encountered farm life as it was a generation earlier. I believe we all were enriched by the experiences.

We now measured how many miles vs. blocks it was to our neighbors’ house; we got to and from school on a bus; we pumped water from the pump in the “summer kitchen” at the back of the house; we endured the winter cold with extra blankets on the bed and kerosene heaters to augment the up-draft coal furnace.

Joan: We heard bobcats howling and screech owls making their chilling call in the night and frequently saw foxes and deer on the land. Mother named the farm “Hickory Dell” because of the numerous hickory trees and the ravine immediately north of the new house.”

Joe: It was a magical time for all of us. For the next year we encounter farm life as it was a generation earlier. I believe we all were enriched by the experiences. We now measured how many miles, not blocks, it was to our neighbors’ house; we got to and from school on a bus; we pumped water from the counter-top pump in the “summer kitchen” at the back of the house; we endured the winter cold with extra blankets on the bed and kerosene heaters to augment the up-draft coal furnace.

The barn was reactivated. Over a period time, Dean purchased a small “herd” of steer and cows. In his check registry for January 1948 is the check written to Bernard J. Roetzel - a fellow attorney – for “1 cow”; on May 19, 1947 “chicks from the Clinton Co.”; on May 20, 1947 “seed oats” from Lloyd Park; on July 29, 1947 “plowing” by H.B. Lyler; September 29 1947 “fertilizer and straw from John Dowds Supply in Akron.

Joan: Leaving the courthouse each week day, Dad would drive home to his new farm, put a plug of chewing tobacco in his pocket and head to the fields.

In his check registry in 1947 were the following: May 19: “chicks from the Clinton Co.; May 20: “seed oats from Lloyd Park; July 29: “plowing by H.D. Lyler; September 29: “fertilizer and straw from John Dowds; and in January 1948 is the check written to Bernard J. Roetzel – a fellow attorney – for “1 cow”. Don, Mike and Joe eventually became proficient at early morning and evening chores of milking, feeding and bedding the cattle and feeding the chickens .. not found in village life!

Joe: A friend gave us Major – a mixed Shetland pony and western horse.. we became avid “horsemen”.

Another gave us Ned, an English Pointer who became a wonderful friend and companion.

Joe (cont.): Oh yes, the chickens: from half a dozen in a small cage alongside the garage in the Village, Dad built a 9’ x 16’ [approx.] coop with a large flock of Rock Island chickens.Thus came the regimen of early morning and evening chores of milking, feeding and bedding the cattle, and feeding the chickens... not found in city life!

Dean’s first crop on the farm was hay and oats for the cattle. John Dowds, a farmer at the corner of Stow and Aurora roads, cut and baled the hay and sold baled straw for the barn. Dean purchased additional grain from Turner’s Mill in Hudson and Summit Feed and

Joe: And, oh yes, the chickens: from half a dozen in a small cage alongside the garage in the Village, Dad built a 9’ x 16’ (appxox.) coop to house a large flock of Rock Island chickens.

Dean’s first crop on the farm was hay and oats for the cattle. John Dowds, a farmer at the corner of Stow and Aurora roads, cut and baled the hay and sold baled straw for the barn. Dean purchased additional grain from Turner’s Mill in Hudson and from Summit Feed and Supply in Akron.

In the spring of 1946 Dean began the construction of a new Southern Colonial style house. The south side foundation was poured 12 feet from the north side of the 1850’s farm house.

With construction underway he began plans to move our family into the vacant farm house. Preparatory to the move Dean contracted with Sun Oil Line Co. to run power lines to the old farm house and to the barn. In May 1947 we moved into our new, modern house. Dean removed the “summer kitchen” from rear of the farm house leaving a four-square structure. In June it was then moved over to the south side of the property, parallel to the new house. Both buildings still stand today and share a common driveway. The Yankee barn remains dormant but has been preserved.

Water for the cattle had been carried into the barn and stored in an old claw-foot bathtub. Dean had to devise a better water source. Approximately 300 yards northeast of the barn he located a spring cistern and a small brick pump house into the side of a hill. He ran ¾’ pipe and electric from the barn down to the new water supply.

Making Maple Syrup

In the meadow at the base of the sugar maple hill stood a maple syrup “camp” – a large building where sap is evaporated down to sugar]. [This would be east of the shoreline out perhaps 50 yards from shore where the current park canoe livery is. When Dean purchased the property, the building the burners and the evaporators were still in place but were not currently functioning. In 1947 he decided to activate the camp. In late February he drilled and spiked the maple trees and hung the galvanized 3-to-4 gallon buckets to collect the sap. The Hudson Evaporator Works was still functioning in the Village of Hudson.

Joan: Bruce Turner from the Turner Mill family (who was a mail carrier in Hudson at the time) helped us extract the syrup from the sugar maple sap. Memory does not serve how he made the rounds to collect the sap buckets. (to the index: [In earlier days, the round were made by a sledded farm wagon pulled by a team of horses.Ten gallons of sap will produce on quart of syrup: a 40-to-1 ratio]

Joe: I fondly remember one night being awakened around midnight and taken down to the sugar camp. Peering in the door I saw nothing but steam inside and the faint outline of men (may have been volunteers from Rotary) stirring the sap in the evaporators. Suddenly one of the men stepped out from the steam with a laded of steam syrup. He pressed the ladle into the snow allowing the syrup to pour into the indentation – instant maple candy.

Catching and Harvesting Big Snappers

The “pre-historic” swamp in the eastern reaches of the farm was known for large snapping turtles, which were known to have five grades of meat and made delicious soup. Dean’s farm-boy experiences I’m confident came to mind as he set out to harvest turtles. He devised a method: two 2x4s nailed together with a heavy duty wire attached and a large fishing hook on the other end. He painted the top of the 2x4 for easy identification. The bait on the hook was remnants of catfish which “aged” in the sun for a few days to ripen. We recall rowing out to the center of the 5-acre swamp to place the improvised devise. Some many days later Dad took us out in search of our catch. As the snappers were caught they were placed in a large steel box outside the barn. If memory serves, the largest catch was around 25 lbs.

A gentleman from somewhere north of us would come and harvest the delicious meat.

Joe: I recall Dad rowing out to the center of the 5-acre swamp to place the improvised device. Some many days later he took us out in search of our catch. Caught turtles were placed in a large steel box outside the barn. The largest catch weighed around 24 lbs. A butcher came to the farm to harvest the delicious meat.

Slaughtering

Dean installed a walk-in freezer in the basement of the new house. In February a steer would be butchered, quartered and hung in the upper floor of the barn to “cure”. A temporary butcher shop was set up in the garage. A nearby butcher came and processed the beef. We wrapped the meat and placed it in the basement freezer. The family was introduced to exotic products of butchering not found in most meat departments: sweetbreads, sliced tongue and fried brain.