Across the road from Zion Lutheran Church in Schumm is a nice home and farm buildings, owned by Ned Alspaugh in the 1970s and beyond. West of the barn is a pond, dug in 1974.
Farm ponds are popular. They are pretty. They are a source of recreation, sustain wildlife, birds and fish, as well as a source of water in case of a house or barn fire. We even have a pond in our back yard.
Bennett pond
It seems the farm pond boom took off in the 1960s and 1970s, likely in part because pond-digging equipment became more readily available. It became trendy to have a farm pond, particularly in areas that were low or swampy.
My uncle Alvin Krueckeberg had earth-moving equipment and he dug many farm ponds in the area, including my Grandpa Schumm’s pond, our pond, and Ned Alspaugh’s farm pond.
My mom and dad took these photos of Alvin Krueckeberg excavating and digging Ned Alspaugh’s pond in 1974. You can see Zion Lutheran Church and cemetery in the background, their parsonage, and other farm buildings across the road.
Alvin Krueckeberg digging Ned Alspaugh pond, 1974.
Alvin Krueckeberg digging Ned Alspaugh pond, 1974.
Alvin Krueckeberg digging Ned Alspaugh pond, 1974.
Below is a 2020 aerial Google Earth photo of the former Alspaugh farm and Zion Lutheran Church. From above, the finished pond looks totally different from the photos taken during its construction.
Zion Lutheran, Schumm, former Alspaugh farm and pond, Google Earth image, dated 6 March 2020.
My uncle Alvin Krueckeberg (1928-2019) excavated many farm ponds in our Ohio-Indiana area. And we certainly appreciate our pond, along with the birds, waterfowl, and wildlife.
Unfortunately, we did not take any photos when he dug our pond.
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love the pictures. thank you.
Author
Glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for writing.
Thanks for the pictures of the Ned Alspaugh pond excavating. Ned was my first cousin through my Alspaugh line. Had been to that farm a few times, the last being after Ned passed away in 2003, and left the family bible to me. It was nice to go back and reminisce
Author
You are welcome. Thanks for writing!