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Adams
County |
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Owner
Jean and Charles Kirker, Jr.
Location
6620 State Route 136, West Union
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Kirkwood Farm sits on the crest of a hill, near the town of
West Union. Surrounded by acres of farmalnd, the picturesque
setting includes two barns and a honey-colored stone house.
The present owner, Charles Kirker, was born in the house and
is the fifth generation to live in the homestead. Owner of the
Adams County Bicentennial Barn, he didn't need a logo on his
barn to promt him to think about the history of his farm. He
lives it every day of his life.
The
farm has been in the Kirker family since Thomas Kirker moved
to Ohio in 1790. Kirkerk, who served two terms as the second
Governor of Ohio, helped to name and design the town of West
Union in 1804. A year later, he began to build a house on his
farm, southwest of the city.
The Kirker home was constructed by stonemason thomas Metcalf,
using sandstone from the property. Metcalf, who also built the
Presbyterian Church in West Union, went on to become the Governor
of Kentucky. The Kirkers raised thirteen children in the small
house. Their youngest son, George, inherited the property upon
his father's death in 1837.
George Kirker, perhaps remembering how cramped the house had
been when he was growing up, built an addition in 1858. His
next project was to construct a large bank barn to accommodate
the herd of Shorthorn Cattle he had imported from Scotland.
But the Civil War interfered with his plans. Geoge was elected
captain of the 141st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and duty to his
country delayed work on the barn.
The Civil War touched the community in many ways. Metcalf's
Presbyterian church, referred to as the church of governors,
was used as a barracks for Union soldiers. The people of West
Union, located about ten miles from the Ohio River, were sympathetic
to slaves escaping from the South, and Captain Kirker's farmhouse
became a stop on the Underground Railroad. When Morgan's Raiders
infiltrated Ohio, word traveled quickly. Members of the Kirker
clan fled to the woods with the horses to prevent them from
being used in the Confederate Army... |
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more in "Bicentennial Barns of Ohio" |
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