A ramshackle barn situated on the shore of Lake Corabelle in Murray County, just south of Iona, is getting a new lease on life, thanks to the efforts of Pat and Lisa Kremer.
The property has long been in the Kremer family, homesteaded by Pat’s grandparents before the turn of the century. Most recently it was home to his aunt, who continued to live there after her husband passed away. Upon her death, Pat’s cousins has no interest in tending the property, so Pat and Lisa decided to buy it and restore it to its former glory.
“It was built in 1916,” explained Pat. “Grandpa and his brother, with just a second- or third-grade education, built it, and it’s lasted 100 years.”
“Pat’s grandpa cut all the boards in the wintertime, and then they put them together when it got nice enough,” added Lisa. “So it was a prefab barn.”
When the Kremers had contractors look at the structure, they found the framework was still straight and worth saving. They hired the Barn Doctors, a firm out of Slayton that specializes in barn restoration, to take on the project and have used other local contractors for each step of the process. Pat assumed the task of clearing out the nearby grove, which was filled with branches and other debris.
So far, the barn has received new siding, which is now painted a deep red, and balconies have been added to look over the farm yard and take advantage of the nearby lake view. New cement on the ground level conceals in-floor heating, and plumbing - bathrooms both upstairs and down - and new electrical systems are being added. Insulation on the main floor walls will be covered by galvanized metal wainscoting topped by reclaimed wood from the barn’s original siding.
Upstairs there’s a full second floor - the wide-open space currently including a corner bar fashioned by Pat from more of that reclaimed wood, along with some of the treasures the couple has found to outfit the space. An old whiskey barrel is slated to become a sink in one of the bathrooms. Two wagon wheels will eventually be chandeliers, hung with Mason jar lights.
There’s also the oat planting box that was once used to plant the surrounding fields. Inside its lid are notations of the dates when planting was started and when it was finished, dating back to 1918. Pat isn’t sure what he’s going to do with that relic, but wants to incorporate it somehow into the decor, along with milking stanchions found in the grove. There are also new electric lanterns and modern plumbing fixtures and windows, of course.
“We’re trying to keep it original, but also keep it practical,” said Pat.
Work hasn’t been limited to the confines of the barn. The nearby granary has also gotten an exterior facelift, although the interior remains mostly untouched. Again, predecessors have left their mark - notations of grain purchases and hash marks decorate the bare wood walls. A pile of harnesses - Pat’s granddad farmed with horses into his 90s - are discarded on the loft floor.
But there’s also a new structure on the property - a lakeside cottage the Kremers commissioned to have built and hauled to the site. Steps leading to the cottage’s porch are stone - a single rock, dug out of a field in Rock County - that form natural treads. Inside is a small bedroom, kitchen area and two lofted areas intended as hideaways for the couple’s grandchildren.
“We decided if we were going to be down here, we needed a place for us to stay,” said Lisa, explaining that it will be their own summer getaway on their own lake. “It’s just such a peaceful place.”
The Kremers are quick to clarify that the barn and its surrounding buildings are intended as a retreat and gathering space for their family and friends. It is not a commercial venture.
Even though it is still a work in progress, they are having a barn warming party this weekend, and a couple other special events are coming up - family wedding receptions in late July and October.
The Kremers have spent a lot of time at the Corabelle property in recent months, watching it transform before their eyes. They hope others see the beauty in making something old look new again.
“It’s hard to believe we’ve come as far as we have,” said Lisa, shaking her head in wonder as she looked around the property.
