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Mary Morgan, who does an amazing job managing the Local History Room at Peninsula Community Library, sent me this photo asking if I knew its location on the Old Mission Peninsula. I do not, so now I’m asking all of you.
She says the photo is undated, but the farm is located somewhere on the Peninsula. At first glance, I wondered if it’s the farm on the corner on Montague Road, but the house configuration and road curve doesn’t seem right – although the road certainly could have changed over the years.
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Here’s a bigger photo, where you can see some other structures, including a couple of barns, one with a cupola on top. If you click on the photo, you can make it a little bigger.
If you know the location or anything else about the photo, tell us in the comments section at the bottom of this story.
UPDATE, Feb. 9, 2024: Ron Dohm posted this on the Gazette’s Facebook page – as I suspected, it IS Amos Montague’s farm on Montague Road:
“This is my relative Amos Montague house and farm. I have been in all of the barns and out buildings that use to be there years ago.”
On whether the big house is the same farmhouse that’s still there today: “Yes, back in the day, that house had the most beautiful wood and workmanship all around inside and out. Each room had its own fireplace. Amos raised cherries, apples, plums, peaches, chickens along with a few ducks, pigs, beef cattle and a few plow horses that he loved the most. Didn’t have to go to town to much.”
On when the photo was taken: “I would say by the apple and cherry trees, somewhere in the mid to late sixties. In the seventies, the orchard was mature enough and he made lots of money when the cherries were above 50 cents a pound.”
Helen Vogel (who grew up on the nearby Wilson Farm), on how the aerial photo came about: “In 1953, Phil Balyeat of The Camera Shop did a flight over OMP taking aerial photos. He then offer the farmers the opportunity to buy the photo of their farm. I have the photo of my farm hanging on the wall in the kitchen. I know that it was 1953 because my folks were building a new house and it shows in the photo.”
Helen and Ron are related. Helen noted that Ron’s grandmother, Alta Dohm, was her dad’s (Jim Wilson) first cousin. Ron noted that Alta was Amos’ aunt.
Also, Walter Hooper mentioned that he currently owns the property and house.
Many thanks to all of you for the info!
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Phil Value at did a flight of aerial photos of the OMP in 1953. I have the photo of my farm. I wonder if this might be the Pratt/Altenberg/Sobkowski farm.
My family had some relation on Old Mission when it was a fishing village. I took my folks back years ago we picked out the house but everything had changed. Sorry to say I don’t remember the families name. I was a young kid and it had to have been late 40’s early 50’s.