Nestled in Solon along E 5th St. is the home of Donna Kessler. She’s a long-time Solon resident and she grew up west of town on her family’s century farm. Although she doesn’t promote it, what’s unique about her home and property is that she’s created a sort of living history museum with antiques from a bygone era.
The items she collects, once commonplace to Midwest farming communities, have long since given way to modern, large-scale producers – and she believes family farms are fast disappearing from the landscape. Kessler says she’s trying to preserve a little part of that history that was so integral to the family farm.
Kessler has assembled an eclectic display of antique farm machinery and implements because it reminds her of her childhood growing up on her family’s rural Solon farm. “I suppose it really all started when I first moved here in the early 1970s,” she explained. “I would go to farm sales and pick up things that reminded me of what my dad had on the farm.”
She explained it saddens her to find much of the old farming equipment is rapidly being destroyed, left in fields to rust away, or sold for metal.
“There are not as many farm sales anymore that have these types of antiques. Most of the sales now are all online,” she said. Kessler has a passion for history and says this is her way of helping to keep that part of the community’s history alive.
Some of the items she has on display date from the late 1800s, including an old city jail building that had been moved to her property from another location in Solon.
“Several Amish people stopped by after seeing the jail and wanted to help me fix it up,” she said. “They did a wonderful job, and replaced the old wood roof with metal.” She went on the explain the interior of building still has the outlines of where the small 5’-ft x 5’-ft jail cells were located. “This is a huge project, and I just don’t know if I will be able to fix it up as I would like it.”
Nostalgic look into the past Kessler said she doesn’t have a master plan for the antiques she collects, however, has placed them in her yard with a certain design. “Oh gosh. I’m not an artist, but I appreciate the value of yard art,” she said. “I find things that interest me and may not have the same value to others. But I think it’s important to preserve our past.”
One of the obvious and more popular items on her property is an antique thresh machine that she says garners much attention from people passing by. “Oh, a lot of people stop by. They visit and reminisce about the thresh machine and their experiences growing up.
She credits local businessman, Jay Proffitt, for helping her move the old machine to her property. “I bought this at a farm sale about 10 years ago, and Jay helped get it here. He has been a big help to our family. He helped my dad on our farm years ago, when dad was alive.”
History in motionShe says her property is always undergoing some sort of revision, be it newly planted flowers, or just to move the antiques to a better, more interesting location. “This is a labor of love for me,” she explained. “Every time you drive by it will look different,” she laughed.
Kessler is retired from the Solon school district after 22 years and says she still works with her daughter, Keri, keeping up their century farm – which is celebrating its 147th year. Being able to work on her property in Solon, planting flowers, and adding antiques, she says is “therapy for her.”
“My grandkids come to the house and farm and they have the time of their lives,” she said.
Kessler says she has thought about allowing school children visit her property to learn about Iowa’s farming past. “I think it would be nice to schedule an afternoon for younger elementary kids to walk around the property to see and learn about the things farmers used long ago.”
She says she plans to continue to hunt for interesting antiques to arrange on her property. “I’m going to keep looking … until I can’t. I love doing it.”