Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Seth Ferguson Farm - 1958

In 1958 The Crittenden Press ran a mystery farm photo picture each week. This picture was featured in the September 18th edition of the paper.

At the time this farm belonged to Seth Ferguson. The article read - Mystery Farm No. 17 belonged to Seth Ferguson, postmaster at Crayne. The 273 acre property lies northwest of Crayne.

At present the Clarence Jennings family lives on the farm and shares crops. A general farming program is carried out on the property, known as Walnut Hill.

Mr. Ferguson has owned the farm for eight years. Previous owners were Morris, Dorroh, Gugenheim and Clements, according to Mr. Ferguson.

The owner's crops are corn and wheat, and his favorite livestock is milk cows. He practices crop rotation, with clover alternated annually with corn and wheat. He grows his own feed and supplements.

Mr. Ferguson and his wife, Velma, were married Nov. 15, 1941. They have two children, Sandra, 15, and Sheryl, 14.

The farm stayed in the Ferguson family for several years after this photo was made. Anyone that remembers this old home tells what a grand place it was. The rooms were large with 14 foot ceilings. There was a large stone step by the front porch that was used as a stepping stone to mount your horse. Clarence and Jerry Jennings and their two boys lived here for several years and, as the article said, worked on the farm for Seth. They were friends with the folks that lived in Crayne and were a part of the community.

It was originally the Fred Clement home, a well-known, and prosperous land owner of the area. The Clement farm joined land with another early pioneer family, A. H. Cardin. It was Mr. Cardin's wife, that loved this area so much and thought it was so beautiful that she named the area "View." Back in the early 1900's View was a well-known community, but the name with all the families that lived there are about faded into history.

I believe the owner today is Mrs. Bonnie Turner and she rents the crop land out to Van Hunt and a trailer sits on the location of this once beautiful and proud family home.

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