Fostoria couple owns Ohio Historical Family Farm

It took a handful of years to get around to it, but Roger Manecke recently put the sign in the front yard at 5901 McCutchenville Road (SR 199) in Fostoria. Motorists traveling past can become aware that the property shares unique company as an Ohio Historic Family Farm, meaning it has been owned by the same family for at least 100 years. "Now it's official," Teri Manecke, Roger's wife, said. The recognition of the Maneckes owning an Ohio Century Farm actually came in 2015, with Roger and Teri receiving a certificate signed by then-Gov. John Kasich, as well as the sign. The Ohio Department of Agriculture has honored more than 1,300 bicentennial, sesquicentennial and century farms. The state's oldest family farm, located in Adams County, dates to 1772 — before the United States even gained its independence from Great Britain. The Maneckes' youngest of three daughters, Lindsay Feick, tracked down the history of the land and applied for the 80-acre farm to be recognized, "just to honor the family," she said. "I feel like there aren't that many farms that have that honor, and to keep the farm in the same family is pretty neat," she said. That came as a surprise to her parents. "We didn't know anything about it," Teri Manecke said. "It was neat. I think it brought tears to both of our eyes." Many motorists certainly have seen the large red barn on the west side of McCutcheonville Road bearing the name of Ross Manecke, who was Roger's grandfather. That structure went up in the founding year of 1908, six years before construction was finished on the house. A second barn was built in 1999, 21 years after Roger and Teri bought the farm from Roger's father, Gilbert Manecke. The farm's founder was William Manecke, Roger's great-grandfather. William served in the Civil War as a foraging sergeant who gathered food for the Union forces. He later created the Union National Bank in Fostoria. Corn, soybeans, hay and wheat have been grown on the property, which is now farmed primarily by Lindsay Feick's husband, Jordan, and Mark Mareches, who is married to the middle Manecke daughter, Cami. The oldest Manecke daughter, Alisha, is married to Kalen Bankey. For now, only wheat has been planted this year. Though much has evolved in farming through 105 years, the house has remained much the same. "We talked about adding onto this, but it's big enough because it's a five-bedroom," Teri Manecke said. "Downstairs is a room where we've got an office set up and it's been a bedroom many times. We brought his mom home — she had dementia — and she lived with us and then (Roger) had a brain injury — he fell off a ladder at work — so we just left it. The porch has probably been the only addition. We really have not renovated a whole lot. It's been in good shape." The work on the porch was to enclose it, providing for another room. The kitchen, now dominated by a large island, also went through a significant redesign. All told, though, the structure has held up well through the years. "It was very well built," Roger Manecke said. "And a lot of it is our maintenance. In the old age of the house, we've kept up with it and done everything that needed to be done. Electrical, air conditioning, heating, plumbing — we've kept it all up." The Maneckes knew only some history of the land before Lindsay undertook the process of having it named a Century Farm. "Dad used to talk about it quite a bit and I had an uncle, Bill Manecke, and he would talk about it as well, about the farms, because they farmed just north of West Millgrove," Roger said. "The sad part is we didn't get enough history," Teri said. "We should have taped the older guys because they would tell stories a lot of the dirt road and the horse and buggy because they all grew up here. And there was an Indian encampment that was along the (Portage) river back here, and they played with the Indians." Roger Manecke noted the camp was located near Riverview Cemetery in West Millgrove and was inhabited by members of the Wyandot tribe. The Manecke daughters, all of whom live nearby, came along much later, of course. And they enjoyed life on the farm. "It was fun, with all the ground and the creek and the hay mound," Lindsay Feick said. "We played sports and stuff, and we had animals. We had sheep, cattle, a horse, dogs, cats, ducks — a little petting zoo. It was fun."