Page 28 – Keeping Our Heritage

The Association bought the machinery from John Williamson. Williamson lived where Rose Dubbin live[d in 1976]. At a meeting dated October 28, 1918 the original members were: Victor Sampson, Evert Hakkarainen, Mrs. Otto Moisio, John Haveri, John Nikula, John Larka, William Huuskonen, Wilpus Tikkanen, Ed Jarvinen, Adolph Leppanen, Ben Zapolski, Oscar Wilhunen, Antti Kosonen. The list of names was written by Ed Jarvinen, secretary.

These members paid $798.49 for the threshing milling machine and lumber for a shed to protect it. They divided the expenses, $61.40 each.

They stored the machine in a shed across from Thiry’s on state land (where the Finland Park is now). When the CCC’s came, the State made them move the machine to where it was stored by the Conservation Hall. The threshing machine and flour mill were stored together. Tikkanen and Haveri bought the binder. Haveri had it stored by his barn.

Membership was assessed according to needs such as; repairs, upkeep and how many acres or bushels you had. If you weren’t a member you had to pay per bushel plus for the operator. The machine didn’t leave without an original owner as an operator. If any member was in arrears he wasn’t allowed to use the machine until he was paid up.

Throughout the years memberships were transferred when someone bought out the other’s share. When a person died he was scratched off the records.

The Association bought insurance from the North Shore Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company. They bought $300.00 worth of insurance for fire or lightning for $6.50. There was $100.00 insurance on each machine shed, flour mill and engine and machinery.

One year there was six inches of snow on the ground before they could thresh the grain. 

At the last meeting, November 16, 1941, each of the following members was assessed $1.00 for fire insurance. The premium due was $5.60. There was $2.20 cash balance on hand. John Louhi, Hugo Lehtinen, Ed Jarvinen, Mrs. A. Leppan en, and John Leskinen paid the assessment. The cash balance of $1.60 remains today from the last meeting. 

Another list of members went as follows: Evert Hakkarainen, John Haveri, Otto Moisio, Wilpus Tikkanen, Wilho Huuskonen, John Louhi, Ed Jarvinen, Adolph Leppanen, Peter Maki, Antti Kosonen, Gust Ekstrom, Wilho Maki. Ben Zapolski. John Nikula transferred to Art Ahlbeck, Albin Lehtinen transferred to Hugo Lehtinen, John Leskinen transferred to Sulo Leskinen, Isaac Koski transferred to Dr. F. Knapp, Geo. T. Midkiff scratched off records, J. E. Mattson scratched off records.

Additional notes, added in 2024 by Honor Schauland

Since 2012 when I bought it, I have lived on the property that used to be the old Conservation Hall and the location of the old threshing machine shed. The old Hall is the house that I live in, and the shed was gone before I moved here, but you can still see its location by sunken spots in the ground where old posts used to be. After moving here, a lot of people told me stories about my house and what the property was used for, including Bob Nikolai, Ruth Himes, Judy Martell, and Bonnie Tikkanen. I don’t remember who told me about it, but one or more of them told me the threshing machine had been stored in a shed on my property. I asked what happened to that machine and they said that it had been stolen. I asked if it was ever found, and they said yes! Incredibly, a year or so later, it was found somehow in Southern Minnesota, but it was too expensive or it was used too little and the group (if the group was still a group by that time) couldn’t get it together to go down to Southern MN to get it and bring it back. I don’t have a good sense of what year that would have been. So that was the end of that.