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A unique feature of the home are murals painted on three walls of the living room and one on the downstairs ceiling. The murals depict scenes such as the Queen Bee Mill of early Sioux Falls, Norwegian fjords, waterfalls, ships and pastures. The mural on the ceiling of the basement mimics a beautiful rug. The artist is thought to be Ole Runing, who painted the murals in the Old Courthouse Museum in Sioux Falls. The late Curt Eggers sold the Renner farm to the Turners.

Turner’s efforts at preservation and restoration. Mike said, “Curt and I got along really, really well. We helped each other out. He appreciated me keeping the place clean and fixing it up.” Laurel added, “We’re stay-at-home and take-careof-the-farm type people and he was really grateful for that.” In their early years on the farm, Mike and Laurel frequently had unexpected visitors. Laurel said, “Because the place had been vacant for so long, kids would go into the barn to swing on the rope without asking. And one time there was a carload of older people in their 70s. They wanted to swing from the rope because they had done it as kids. Like fools, we let them. Not long after that, our son and his cousin were swinging in tandem on the rope when it broke. They bounced hard on the timber floor, but didn’t break any bones. But we learned our lesson.”

Over the years, the Turners have raised cows, pigs and chickens on the farm. Laurel said farrowing pigs was a good experience, but she didn’t care to ever do it again. Mike said, “We raised hundreds of chickens to butcher, just to have chicken in the freezer. Our sons and I butchered everything.” Mike and Laurel have two sons. Charles and his wife, Marci, have three children: Alyssa, Charles and Jackson. Son Cory and his wife, Amanda, have four children: Abby, Kayla, Freddie and Christian. The grandchildren often help on the farm. Mike and Laurel are retired now from their off-the-farm careers. Their tillable acres are run on shares with a farmer who handles all the tillage, planting and harvesting. But Mike mows their hay ground and puts up square bales. They use the hay for their own horses plus sell some. They have six horses, four of which are rescue horses. Laurel praised the work of Gentle Spirit Horse Sanctuary & Rescue in Scotland, S.D.

Source for information on the historic barn: www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/ agriculture/field-guide/gable-entry-bankbarn.html

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