A glimpse at the Richard & Katie Werner Farm
This continues a series adapted from the book, “A Port Oneida Collection,” Volume 1 of the twopart set, “Oral History, Photographs, and Maps from the Sleeping Bear Region,” produced by Tom Van Zoeren in partnership with Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. Here we continue with a look at the Richard & Katie Werner Farm, along M-22 just south of the bend by Thoreson Road: Katie (Poertner)(Werner) Holland’s grandson Gene Warner discussed this photo: “I’m not sure what the context of this picture might have been. From her apparent age, I’d guess it was taken in the early 1930s. That was ten years before my time, but otherwise I never saw any spinning wheels around, or heard of anyone doing that. I expect had they been around then (early 1940s) I would have been keen on fiddling around with them.” Gene, who was the son of a Coast Guardsman from South Manitou Island, continued, “One of my favorite ‘toys’ was the old Singer treadle sewing machines. I’d sit on the treadle, rocking back and forth, pretending it was a boat, with me at the helm.
“On the other hand, my other grandmas, Great-grandma Haas, Grandma Warner, and Grandma Kelderhouse all knitted, crocheted, tatted, quilted and made rag rugs. That was always a pastime, but produced useful things, items that were prized gifts, and so on. Grandma Warner crocheted a beautifully ornate white bedspread that she intended would be a wedding gift for me, but unfortunately I remained a bachelor until I was thirty-seven, and after all those years of storage, it had yellowed. My mother tried to wash it, and turned it into a babybedspread.
