I grew up on this farm. The house was finished in 1797 and stood for almost two hundred years. My family bought it in the early 20th century and both my grandfather and mother were born actually IN the house. It was a wonderful place to grow up. With the sound of 10,000 crashing cymbals, it was struck by lightning at 4:10 am on a chilly fall day in 1993. The lightning arced between the nails inside the 3-layer brick walls and caused a fire that we couldn't put out. It took three days to burn to the ground. We were all devastated, but no one more than my grandfather, who had lived his whole life in this house. We all survived the lightning strike and the subsequent fire that took the house, but life was never quite the same.

I miss this place! Yes, I too grew up in the house but also as a part of the property. Many a day was spent exploring the 100+ acres we had at the time. I look back at those years with both fond and sad memories. I miss our homestead but as with everything, time marched right on and sent us on new and extraordinary adventures. I will never forget all the interesting stories of the history of both the house itself and the property. One included Jessie James, another about a tragic death during a party, ghost stories and also stories of terrible storms. Tornados that imploded many of the windows but the house stood through it. Any place that stands that long becomes a witness to history.