Bloom Where You're Planted Farm

What a difference a year makes!  One year ago today, the 120-year-old Center Hill-District 94/105 schoolhouse made the move to our farm from the Cass County fairgrounds. 

We started out at around 9 a.m. when the schoolhouse, on the back of a semi,  first pulled out onto a narrow two-lane highway.  Several trucks from the house moving company and our local power company, OPPD, made the journey with us.  The move itself took around two hours, with another couple of hours spent shimmying the building into place and setting it onto wood block towers where it would await its new foundation. 

Terry and I experienced every emotion possible that day.  We were excited and relieved that moving day was finally here after months of planning.  We were worried, stressed, scared...  Would the windows break? How much work would the power company have to do (and how much would that cost us?) How long would it take?  Would the road be too narrow?  Would the bridges along the country roads be wide enough?...  The questions were endless.  When the moving crews finally pulled out of our driveway we were happy, relieved (again) and tired!

A full summer of work followed the move.  There was a foundation to build, and then the movers had to come back and slide the building onto the foundation.  There were many exterior renovations, including removing the white vinyl siding to reveal the original wood underneath.  That wood needed to be repaired and repainted, as did all the trim.  We replaced the roof, added new doors, replaced the original transom window, had a septic tank installed, built steps and a ramp, and landscaped around the building.  Inside we added a handicap-accessible restroom, repaired holes in the wall, painted, refurbished the original light fixtures, and hired a plumber and electrician. 

It was around 11:00 p.m. the night before opening day when we finally finished everything up!  This spring and summer we plan to renovate the original coat room into a concession kitchen, add ceiling fans and exterior lighting, and would like to build a bell tower if there is time.  

Here are some photos of the move and the schoolhouse before and after renovations: 

 At the fairgrounds

 We just hit the road and are already holding up traffic!

All done!