Last updated: September 1, 2024
Place
Frederick & Margretha Werner Barn
NPS Photo/P. Stinson
The Frederick & Margretha Werner Barn is located at the end of Miller Road, which intersects with Port Oneida Road just north of M-22. This site is on the Bay View Hiking Trail. Walking along the trail at the edge of the field gives you a sense of what the farm looked like when it was in operation. Take the trail west from the site and you will come to the top of the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan through the trees.
The Frederick and Margretha Werner Farm is a 204-acre parcel of land was claimed by Frederick and Margretha Werner, who arrived from Germany on 18 September 1855. Their farm dates to the late 1850's or early 1860's and is the oldest maintained farm in the Port Oneida Historical District.
Port Oneida was known as a close-knit community, but this doesn't mean the community didn't have its share of serious disagreements. Fifteen years after building their farmstead, the Werners were informed by their neighbor to the north, Thomas Kelderhouse, that their home was on the wrong side of the line. We don't know why the two men could not come to an easier agreement, but the Werners had to disassemble their hard-built home and farm and relocate 1/4 mile south to this location.
In 1885, the Werner's son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Katie (Portner) Werner, were farming at this site. After Richard Werner's death in 1890, Katie married Benjamin Holland, who took over the farm. Ben was known for being very particular. "He had the straightest corn rows in the area!" By 1891, Frederick and Margretha Werner had divided their parcel, ceding the northern 122 acres to their daughter and son-in-law, Mattie and John Miller.
The Werners established a family cemetery atop the bluff along the lake that is believed to contain the five children who died here during the early years, as well as Frederick, Margretha, and others.
Frederick and Margretha Werner's great-grandson, Franklin Basch, was raised on the farm and purchased it in 1943. According to Franklin Basch, their farming activities ceased around 1930 because they were unable to produce adequate crops.