Just a bit of history
“We want to create a venue where people can celebrate their life events together, in a space they are proud of,” said owner Aissa Norris. “We worked very closely with brides and businesses around the area to ensure we were creating a space that meets their needs and would be flexible enough to accommodate each unique vision.”
The 1912 Barn homestead was established in 1851 by George Washington Humphries and his family from Kentucky. Mr. Humphries had purchased the land from the county for 10 cents per acre and he had decided it was the perfect place to start his family and to build a life for himself.
Purchasing land for just ten cents per acre sounds crazy in this day and age but 100 years ago that was common here. You see, the belief at the time was that many of the fields near the Sangamon River fields could easily occasionally flood during the rainy season and left damp a great part of the year. This swampy land appeared to be of limited value but soon all of that would change.
So, George and his wife,Martha established the first residence on the property at 990 S. Meridian Avenue, in Harristown Township, Niantic, Illinois. Here they at least six children, farmed the land, raised horses, pigs, chickens and cattle and lived out their days.
But the story doesn’t end there, here’s a bit of local history that you might find interesting before I finish the story. You see, the town of Long Point, now called Niantic was a bustling community located next to the railroad which was headed for the California during the gold rush. As this area grew more populated with farmers and families taking advantage of these low rates for land a bustling community grew. In 1853 the village was platted with more than 37 businesses, more than 3 churches and multiple fraternal orders lining the streets. Long point had developed into an export center with a crop of Hemp being railed out to meet growing demands throughout the United States.
Originally hemp was grown for use during both the gold rush and the expansion of the Midwest’s agricultural future just beginning to bud. Strong ropes made from hemp were needed to handle the weight of coal and gold trolleys, as well as for the vessels which were transporting farm goods and produce down the river to the gulf and across the world.
Now back to the story at the farm. As Humphries family and farm began to grow, more hired hands were needed. A young boy from Ohio named Grandy Bernard was just the man they needed and although he was hired to use the work horses to help Mr. Humphries, his affections for George’s beautiful daughter Etta grew. Well it didn’t take long before Etta and Grandy were married. Then in 1876, Mr Humphries grew ill and passed away leaving Grandy and Etta to care for her mother and to take over the farm.
With the turn of the century many things on the farm were growing an new inventions were beginning to find their way to the farms. Now the family could afford to build the more permanent structure known as the 1912 Barn but in the day it was for original farming purposes. The barn and several other outbuildings were built or updated to handle the number of work horses and equipment that was necessary for the operation that had grown to 460 a acres. The post and beam barn construction which included a concrete floor which was rare for the period was a beautiful addition to the property along with a corn crib located behind which was triple the size of the horse barn. The estate had livestock which included hogs, ponies, chickens as well as workhorses to handle the planting, cultivating and harvesting of the original crop as well as corn.
Located behind the house, there was a pony stable and paddock. A small hog operation also was located north of the house at the bend in the road where you still find a large maple tree. A Smoke house, chicken coop and root cellar were also located to the north near the Quonset building which is another wood structure still located on the property. This farm was totally self sufficient, but like most at the time, these small farms were the backbone for community and growth across America.
Elegance in Every Corner.
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During the Great Depression many farms had difficulty withstanding the hardships and much farm land was sold to pay for expenses. Grain which could not be sold over seas and neighboring countries during the war lead to the loss of all but 40 acres for Grandy and Etta to start over again as many families did. The huge corn crib once filled to capacity behind the barn was empty and most of the animals were sold. Although discouraging for the family their roots remained and they continued to farm the property until it was next sold to the Carl Dunn family in the early 50’s.
The Dunn family farmed this beautiful country side expanding the farm far beyond its original acreage bought for just pennies on the dollar. Raising three sons who have continued the farming heritage of this property. As the boys grew older and established their own homes, Carl and his wife remained on the property farming the land until Carl’s passing. In 2004, the homestead was sold to Aissa and Hank Norris. Although the Norris family had no ties to the farming community, the intriguing history and beauty of the almost 100 year old barn caught their eye.
The Norris’ originally bought the property with the idea to keep the barn in its original state and fly their hot air balloons from the amazing fields just outside Decatur. This however turned out to be short lived once the word of the historic post and beam structured barn was used once for a local wedding. Soon the new trend of returning to simpler weddings and receptions in unique settings became a new business for this historic property bringing guests to the Niantic community from across the Midwest.
Currently the 1912 Barn and property are used for weddings, receptions, private parties and corporate retreats 6 months a year. Special fund raising events and rally’s have been held at the barn as well as field trips for local schools to learn about the barn’s history and small hobby chicken farming.
