Additional Notes of Thomas Bertie (Tom) Stevens
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Last Week's Farm Picture, Along Highways, Was Readily Identified Although last week's farm picture was easily identified, the Messenger has heard nothing from the owner up to the present time, so we have no detailed information about the farm. It was the farm generally called the "old Nelson place," on the north side of Highway 18, starting about a quarter of a mile west of Bennington and extening over to the pavement on Highway 81. It is now owned by John Berkley, of the Bennington State Bank. The place was so easily identified that few people bothered to say anything about it. Judge W. D. Lancaster was the first to actually phone to the Messenger an identification and a little later Jim Markey dropped in to tell us. Several people mentioned it to us on the street. This week's picture shows another farm yard with lots of trees, but the fine big residence and other buildings show up well. The picture was apparently taken from the best possble angle to make a good photograph. The actual photo which we have for the resident shows up unusually fine. FARM PICTURED LAST WEEK IS CLOSE TO CULVER The owner and residen of the farm pictured in last week's Messenger was the first to identify the picture. That was Tom Stevens and the place is located two miles east of Culver. The picture showed his place very clearly, but he was a little disappointed that it didn't quite get the silo in the picture. It was located just a little too far to the right, so was missed by the photographer. One interesting feature of the picture was that it showed Mr. Stevens plowing, down in the firght foreground. The Milleson farm buildings and silo also showed up in the distance, a little over a quarter of a mile away. Of course these details are always much plainer in the original photograph, which Mr. Stevens was pleased to receive. Tom has lived on the place over 50 years. It was purchased by his father, Mason Stevens, in December of 1902, when Tom was in his late 'teens and he helped farm the place from that time on. He also farmed additional land many years, but has given that up now, since just he an Mrs. Stevens are left on the place. The house is the same structure that was there when the father originally bought the place, but Tom has built most of the rest of the buildings. About 9 years ago, he built a dam in the pasture. It is 100 yards long and makes a fair sized lake, which always has plenty of water, even in the driest years. In fact that pond is rather aggravating usually in duck season, when ducks come in and stay out in the middle, where they are at a perfectly safe distance from hunters. He has had all the cultivated ground terraced, that was not already so level that it did not need it and a few years ago he put in two intersection ditches for further conservation of the soil. He is raising alfalfa, brome grass, milo and atlas. Had a small field of wheat this year, but has none in his plans for next year. The Stevens children are all married and now out on their own. Don has a garage in Culver; Harold lives in Grand Junction, Colo., where he is a truck driver for a large produce company; Bill lives in Englewood California and is in the employ of the Douglas Aircraft Corporation. Their daughter, Mrs. Betty Day, lives in Salina. May 1954 This picture, published in the Salina Journal last week, shows Louis Cooper on left, congratulating Tom Stevens, of Culver, and Merle Smith, of Delphos. Stevens received a plaque and Smith a certificate for high placings of their lambs at the Kansas lamb production contest held in Hutchinson. Tom B. Stevens Born: June 29, 1883 in Christian Co., Ill. Died: July 8, 1969 in Minneapolis, Kansas Services: Chapel Funeral Home, July 11, 1969, 10:00 Clergyman: Rev. Helen Dent Interment: Gypsum Hill Cemetery, Salina, Kansas |