Save Historic Beatty Farm
December 14, 2018 at 5:33 p.m.
By -
A historic farmhouse and barn in Plain Township is in danger of being destroyed if action isn't taken to preserve them for the future.
In 1842, Ross Beatty, a settler from Ohio, purchased the land in Section 10, and after living a few years in a log cabin, built a wood frame Greek Revival house. That house remained in the Beatty family until the early 1970s, when Ross' granddaughter, Nellie Mathews, sold it to Don and Juanita Boggs. Juanita died last year, and all of the Boggs heirs except one – me – wants to sell the land to Max Deatsman, a neighbor and great-great-grandson of Ross. Deatsman has little interest in the history of the farm and wants to demolish the buildings for more farmland. I want to preserve the buildings and the few acres where the structures sit. A face-off in court has kept the buildings from being razed for the moment.
Structures from the 1840s are rare in Kosciusko County or elsewhere in Northern Indiana. The barns date from the 1860s with hand-hewn beams, and are also fast disappearing. Together they are part of the architectural heritage of the county and deserve every chance of being preserved. I and another Beatty descendant, John Beatty of Fort Wayne, want to have the buildings enrolled with the Indiana Historic Landmarks Foundation and the National Register of Historic Places.
The Ross Beatty farm is extremely well-documented. Photographs of the house exist from 1873, and a history of the Beatty family was written by Beatty, a genealogy librarian with the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. A copy of the two-volume book can be found in the Kosciusko County Historical Society.
The farm was recorded on the census agricultural schedules from 1850 to 1880, which show exactly what Ross Beatty grew on the land. Farming was far more diversified at that time, with corn, wheat, oats, alfalfa, hay and even hemp being grown. Ross Beatty built a Methodist Church on the land at the comer of Armstrong Road and 250 East, known as the Bone Prairie Church.
The house needs electrical updating and waterproofing on the roof and in the basement, but because it has been altered so minimally, it serves almost as a historical artifact from the 1840s. I am interesteed in making the necessary updates and seek to keep the buildings from the wrecking ball.
There are so many ways the house and farm, once restored, could be used. It could be made into a history classroom, where school groups could come and learn about farm living in the 19th century. Farmers markets could be held there on weekends, as could demonstrations of spinning, weaving, butter churning and other pioneer crafts. The success of the Salomon Farm in Fort Wayne demonstrates that there is public interest in learning about these crafts. The creation of the Beatty-Boggs Historic Farmhouse Foundation could help keep the buildings in repair.
I hope that the Kosciusko County Historical Society and other interested members of the community can come together to save these historic buildings. The few acres on which they stand will make little difference to the profitability of the farm, and their rarity demands their continued preservation.
Jay Boggs
Winona Lake
John Beatty
Fort Wayne Genealogy
At Allen County Library
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A historic farmhouse and barn in Plain Township is in danger of being destroyed if action isn't taken to preserve them for the future.
In 1842, Ross Beatty, a settler from Ohio, purchased the land in Section 10, and after living a few years in a log cabin, built a wood frame Greek Revival house. That house remained in the Beatty family until the early 1970s, when Ross' granddaughter, Nellie Mathews, sold it to Don and Juanita Boggs. Juanita died last year, and all of the Boggs heirs except one – me – wants to sell the land to Max Deatsman, a neighbor and great-great-grandson of Ross. Deatsman has little interest in the history of the farm and wants to demolish the buildings for more farmland. I want to preserve the buildings and the few acres where the structures sit. A face-off in court has kept the buildings from being razed for the moment.
Structures from the 1840s are rare in Kosciusko County or elsewhere in Northern Indiana. The barns date from the 1860s with hand-hewn beams, and are also fast disappearing. Together they are part of the architectural heritage of the county and deserve every chance of being preserved. I and another Beatty descendant, John Beatty of Fort Wayne, want to have the buildings enrolled with the Indiana Historic Landmarks Foundation and the National Register of Historic Places.
The Ross Beatty farm is extremely well-documented. Photographs of the house exist from 1873, and a history of the Beatty family was written by Beatty, a genealogy librarian with the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. A copy of the two-volume book can be found in the Kosciusko County Historical Society.
The farm was recorded on the census agricultural schedules from 1850 to 1880, which show exactly what Ross Beatty grew on the land. Farming was far more diversified at that time, with corn, wheat, oats, alfalfa, hay and even hemp being grown. Ross Beatty built a Methodist Church on the land at the comer of Armstrong Road and 250 East, known as the Bone Prairie Church.
The house needs electrical updating and waterproofing on the roof and in the basement, but because it has been altered so minimally, it serves almost as a historical artifact from the 1840s. I am interesteed in making the necessary updates and seek to keep the buildings from the wrecking ball.
There are so many ways the house and farm, once restored, could be used. It could be made into a history classroom, where school groups could come and learn about farm living in the 19th century. Farmers markets could be held there on weekends, as could demonstrations of spinning, weaving, butter churning and other pioneer crafts. The success of the Salomon Farm in Fort Wayne demonstrates that there is public interest in learning about these crafts. The creation of the Beatty-Boggs Historic Farmhouse Foundation could help keep the buildings in repair.
I hope that the Kosciusko County Historical Society and other interested members of the community can come together to save these historic buildings. The few acres on which they stand will make little difference to the profitability of the farm, and their rarity demands their continued preservation.
Jay Boggs
Winona Lake
John Beatty
Fort Wayne Genealogy
At Allen County Library
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