Fleming/Bogard Barn

I've used wood from three regional barns in the bakery renovation:  Hunter Barn, Venable Barn and Fleming/Bogard Barn.  The vanities in the bathrooms are made from the Fleming/Bogard Barn.  Colleen Bogard of Carterville has been one of the best encouragers for the bakery and she was kind enough to write down the history of the barn.  Here it is...

The Fleming/Bogard barn was originally built around 1900-1902 as a 30 x 40 foot mortise and tenon hay storage barn.  It was complete with ridge-trolley and pulley and sat on the homestead now referred to as 10699 Fleming Road.  It was one of a three-barn group - hay barn, drive-thru storage barn and a stock and horse barn.  Walter Fleming and his father, John Fleming acquired the property (in Carterville area) in 1941-42 when they were required to move from their family farms located on the present federal prison site as part of WW-II war effort.  The two Flemings found the farm with two houses and three barns a perfect solution for their families.  The 210-acreage was split and the hay storage barn was placed on skids and pulled from the Homestead site with horse-teams and tractor across the 40-acres to the north and positioned next to the house already there.  Walter and John immediately built three side sheds to house a dairy operation and serve as a shelter for cattle.

Fleming acquired rough sawn oak and pine from the Claude Cox sawmill for the building of the sheds and used square iron nails. The original hay barn had a cedar-shake roof and the Flemings covered the entire barn and and shed roof with heavy corrugated tin, thus protecting the original 40-year-old cedar shingles for another 60+ years.  By winter of 1942, the 10900 Samuel Road barn was in full use.

After the death of John Fleming in 1956, Walter purchased his father's part of the farm and continued farming the entire 210 acres.

The May 8, 2009 derecho, which hit Carterville only 90 days after Mrs. Fleming's death, rendered the beautiful barn unrepairable.  After much consideration, Fleming's grandson, Walter Bogard, along with Walter's son, Richard, chose to dismantle and repurpose the wood in the historic structure.

Many picture frames, furniture pieces, fireplace mantles and now vanities have been created from this Carterville barn; the custom pieces scattered from Colorado to Texas to Tennessee to Jersey shores to yes...downtown Carterville.  As a "labor of love" and preservation of the past, Walter Bogard and his son Richard have repurposed part of the 75-year-old shed wood and corrugated roofing from the original 10900 Samuel structure and built a 56' x 16' storage shed onto the original west shed foundation.

Rise Above It Bakery & Cafe is lucky to have a piece of this local history and the wood made beautiful vanities for the restrooms.  Thanks Colleen and Walter!