The Meissner Farm near Salem
The Meissner farm in Butler Township as viewed from Route 62 outside Salem, circa 1960.
The 300-acre farm produced cash crops of wheat and hay.
The alfalfa-timothy mix hay was sold to racetracks for the horses. Anton Meissner bred horses, cattle, geese, chickens, and ducks at the farm.
Photo provided by Betty Meissner Steele.
Some memories from our first-generation generation relatives:
- German was spoken at home.
- Horse-drawn wagons were used for transportation even after Anton bought an REO car in the early 1900s.
- Charlie confessed that he would sneak into the barn and sit in the REO.
- Anton read newspapers to the family. One Christmas he gave them gifts of oranges.
- A steam engine was used at harvest time. Someone had to get the boilers started at 4:00 in the morning.
Reunions were held in various places
Over the years our reunion has been held in several locations. While we have recently celebrated at Sevakeen Lake, the reunion was also held quite a few years at the farm and once (?) at Greenford park.
What are other locations you remember?