We were delighted to welcome two groups from the Utah Heritage Foundation to our farm this summer. They came to tour our farmstead and see for themselves how we’ve adapted historic old buildings to meet the needs of a modern cheese-making business. (By the way, the Heritage Foundation – http://www.utahheritagefoundation.org/ – is holding its own Barn Party this weekend. Check it out.)
In a way, history has repeated itself. When the farm’s previous owner Willis Erickson built the chicken coop, the egg house and the granary back in the 1930s and ‘40s, he put a lot of hard work and vision into turning his farm into a viable agricultural enterprise.
Little did he know that we’d come along 60 years later and find a new use for those old buildings. Today, the former egg house is our creamery and the granary is our farmstand. The latter is a spectacular old building that we’ve always loved. Now, we are happy to have visitors appreciate it, too.
Our farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places thanks to our local community’s historic preservation committee. And earlier this year, the Utah Heritage Foundation presented us with an award for our adaptive use of a historic property.
We feel honored to receive the recognition. For Pete and I, there was never a question of not trying to preserve our farm. We feel a sense of responsibility to the past – to Willis, who built this farmstead, and James Burnham, who built our circa 1895 brick home. And we appreciate the folks with the Utah Heritage Foundation who are working around the state to preserve Utah’s history.
Cache Valley has a wonderful heritage of historic farms and barns. In fact, travelers can even take a driving tour of historic barns, thanks to the Bear River Heritage Area and Lisa Duskin-Goede, who compiled the guide. “Historic Barns of Northern Utah: A Self-Guided Driving Tour” is online at: http://www.bearriverheritage.com/ — jh