Growing a heritage

It was 164 years ago when Gloria Messer's great-great-great-grandfather bought 40 acres of land on the Henry-Jefferson County line for $125. A hopeful man who lost almost half his children over the yearlong journey from Sweden to Iowa, Olaus Svenson's legacy is now 215 acres strong, owned by his offspring and celebrated with a Century Farm and Heritage Farm award at the 2018 Iowa State Fair.

For Messer, a Mt. Pleasant resident who grew up on her family farm 100 years after Svenson purchased the modest property, being honored with the Century Farm and Heritage Farm awards was a joy.

Today, the land is owned by six generations of Swansons, the name Olaus Svenson adopted when immigrating to America.

'To pick up and leave (your home country) boggles my mind,” said Laura Beattie, whose husband's family farm in Canaan Township also was awarded a Century Farm at the 2018 Iowa State Fair. Beattie's family also came to southeastern Iowa as immigrants.

It wasn't always so easy for the Swansons to keep the property in the family, however. During the Great Depression, the family lost 80 acres of land. Later, when Messer's father, Raymond Swanson, took over the family farm, Messer said she knows that it was a struggle for him sometimes, even though she always felt she had everything she could ever want or need growing up.

Raymond milked cows on their farm and grew corn and beans. He was very conscious of conservation as well. Messer and Robert walked to a one-room school house, Victory No. 8 school, cutting through the fields to get to the building that still is standing today.

When Raymond died, his children, including Messer and Robert Swanson, were at odds about what to do with the property. Two of the siblings wanted to sell while Messer and Robert were determined to keep it in the family.

Thankfully, 40 acres, at least, were secure, put into a trust by Raymond himself before he died to be passed down to his great-grandchildren, Messer and Robert's grandchildren. 'He was afraid it would be sold before then,” Messer explained. 'I took care of my mom and dad (in their old age). I would hear my father talk about how much (the farm) means to him.”

In the end, however, Messer and Robert had to pay off their brothers to keep the property in the family. That was five years ago. Since then, they have reconciled, and Robert's children and grandchildren have expressed interest in living on the property and possibly farming it themselves someday.

Messer said that knowing her brother Robert, it means the world to him that his grandchildren, high school students in New London, are interested in farming the land themselves one day.

'It's a heritage,” Robert said.

Robert himself keeps up the property, clearing brush, keeping buildings up to date and overseeing operations. Some of the land is rented to other farmers. Other parts of the land are designated for the USDA Farm Service Agency Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a conservation program to slow erosion and provide a habitat for wildlife.

The oldest barn on the property dates back to 1891, a big horse barn that used to store hay, have horse stalls and be a place to milk cows, a task Robert recalls doing by hand. One of the museum buildings at Midwest Old Threshers is actually a replica of that barn, built by Raymond and donated to Old Threshers years ago.

Four other buildings stand on the grounds, the newest built in the 1980s. The second house built on the property - the one Robert and Messer grew up in - burned down in 2010. Arson, Messer said.

'It broke my heart,” Messer and Robert said in the same breath.

'It broke Dad's heart,” Robert added.

Now, only one family lives on the property, 60 acres sold in 2000 to Richard and Kim Swanson.

Beattie, another Henry County resident whose farm was awarded a Century Farm award, owns the property with her daughters Beverly and Barbara. While Beattie's family property she speaks of is a legacy from her husband's side of the family, her own parents weren't so lucky to hold onto their land during the Great Depression.

'It would have been a heritage farm by now if my parents could have held onto it. It was a combination of the Depression and sickness,” Beattie said. 'Knowing that my own family weren't able to and my husband and I worked hard to hang onto this … we thought we would have to sell it one time and I said, ‘We worked too hard not to keep it.'

'He couldn't have stood to watch someone else be in charge,” Beattie continued.

While renters farm corn and beans on the property now, Beattie is pleased to see it be so well taken care of. Someday, however, she hopes that it is family that will once again farm the 180 acres of property purchased in 1882. Her hopes may be realized soon too. Beattie's son, William Beattie, recently moved back to the area. 'He's going to be in the neighborhood,” she said with a smile.