by Sheldon Ellik
This barn was Victor Ellik’s, my dad’s. It was moved here by Grandpa John from a neighboring Rumberg farm so it could be going on 100 years old by now. (Our centennial was in 2011). The barn is where I, Sheldon helped milk up to 20-22 cows by hand until the mid to late 60’s when the girls left home and we got a milking machine. We fed the skim milk to the pail calves and it made for good pork when we fed it to the pigs. To sell our cream, Goodfellow’s transport stopped here to pick it up; it was one of the stopping places on his route. In the winter, when travel by truck was impossible, this is where Mr. Goodfellow would exchange his teams of horses. The steaming horses would be put in the barn to cool down while he hitched up new sets of teams to continue on his route.
I remember that we had a little dog. In the winter the milk cows were left in the barn overnight and that’s where the dog would also spend the night. In the morning he’d be laying on top of a cow’s back. I guess he was keeping his feet warm.
The barn has a different look from the original. When the boards dried out we put wooden sidings on. But painting it regularly was a big chore so now it is metal clad. It graces the yard where son Jason (Kara) operate the farm and where they’re raising their sons Brogan and Rhett.