Our
Multi-
Generational
Story
The Koelsch homestead was acquired by Nicholas & Lucy Koelsch in 1907. They had 15 children who were born & raised on this homestead. In 1958 Charles Koelsch the youngest son and his wife Lorene Koelsch took over the homestead. Charles & Lorene had seven children that they raised on this farm. In 2013 five of the seven children took over the homestead Judy (Koelsch) Snyder, Janet (Koelsch) Sagert, James Koelsch, David Koelsch, and Jacqueline (Koelsch) Oehlers.
A True Pioneer
Nicholas Koelsch had several businesses at the homestead. When he bought the property, he acquired a clay tile and brick business where they made tile for the crop fields and bricks for buildings and homes.. Many clay tile pieces can be found when digging on the property. Nick also was an Ice Man. They cut ice from the pond on the homestead and stored it in the icehouse which is adjacent to the pond (the foundation remains) with saw dust to insulate and prevent melting. He took ice blocks and delivered them via horse and wagon to the town’s people in Metamora for their iceboxes. Later Nick had a Meat Market in the town of Metamora and did butchering in the east barn. He also was an insurance salesman. The original home (despite a partial fire in 1925) and barns still remain on the property.
The Second Generation
In 1958 Charles & Lorene Koelsch took over the homestead. Charles was a master carpenter and part-time farmer. In the early days they had livestock on the farm but then changed to only grain farming. Lorene was a homemaker who baked & canned.
Charles made many improvements to the house and workshop and Lorene took care of running the household and the farm business. Together they enjoyed a wonderful life and lived on the farm until their death, Charles in 2002 and Lorene in 2010.
They both always took care of what they owned and instilled an excellent work ethic in all of their children.
The Fourth Generation
There are 18 children of the third generation Koelsch siblings. Many are married and have children of their own. Some live in the area and others live in LasVegas,WashingtonD.C., New York, Vermont, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, California & Germany. We love when they come to the farm homestead and visit.
The Third Generation
In 2013 five of the seven children took over the homestead Judy (Koelsch) Snyder, Janet (Koelsch) Sagert, James Koelsch, David Koelsch, and Jacqueline (Koelsch) Oehlers. In 2014 they began renovation and beautification of the farm & house to try to preserve and restore to its original look as much as possible. They hope to host many events to share the beauty of this wonderful farm homestead that they all love so much. In 2015 they listed the property on Airbnb and get many rentals. In the fall of 2015, they hosted the first wedding on the homestead and have held many weddings since then. In the fall of 2020, they started the east barn renovation and completed in August of 2021 to be able to hold wedding receptions and other events. In 2021 they listed on Vrbo and also get rentals from that.
The Fifth Generation
There are 30 children of the fourth generation Koelsch family and we hope that they will continue the legacy that our ancestors started many years ago.
