Page Text: Finding a Way & Making a Way
We have been preparing for the Wachsmann Living Estate Auction this Saturday, June 2nd in the Paige/Manheim area. This is the living estate of Mrs. Joy Wachsmann & the late Clarence Wachsmann.
When we step foot in some of these old barns & hay fields, we can't help but get a feeling of nostalgia. This time, we got it when we entered the old Wachsmann Tire Shop. I know, I know. In a tire shop?! Yes. You could tell that at some point in time it was a place where people met, their problems were solved & community happened.
The old shop was being used to store some of their peanut farming equipment like: the combine, grain dryers & peanut trailers. It also contained tire equipment & truck, trailer, tractor, ATV, & lawn mower tires that had never been mounted. Up until a few short years ago, people could still come and buy tires.
When one of the sons recalled the story of how the tire shop began, it was clear that Mr. Clarence, prompted by a family member in another little farming community up the country, had decided this community needed a place that could service & provide tires for the farmers and ranchers in their community.
Mr. Wachsmann had a need for tires for the equipment that ran his farming operation & he was willing to drive up the country to pick them up, not only for himself, but for a few neighbors. With a little encouragement from his cousin, he made plans to provide the same kind of business in his community.
A business was born right there in the heart of farming country in a tin barn & a hay field. That business, while there, made life a little easier for members of that community.
It's not like these folks just sat around waiting for people to need tires. They ran the tire shop while they were farming 500 to 600 acres of peanuts, 100 acres of corn & milo & runnin' 400 momma cows & a 2000 to 2500 head hog feed lot.
Stepping foot on that place was reminiscent of the days of finding a way, making a way & doing that with whatever knowledge and ability you had at any given moment. I'm not saying those days are gone, but it's sure not like the days when everyone around you were doing the same thing....finding a way & making a way.
When you think about farming & ranching & tires, you definitely think of the fellas, but, no mistakin', Mrs. Joy had her hands full. Her one son described her as the "backbone of the whole operation." When I asked about her he said: "She really did everything." :)
Her jobs included:
Running the dryers & checking the peanuts for moisture, letting the boys know when they were ready to head to town.
Checking cattle while the boys were in the fields.
She sewed EVERY peanut sack.
Pretty much ran the tire shop because Clarence was out in the fields
Kept herself, her husband, & 4 boys fed & clothed
Helped butcher the cattle & hogs
Tended the garden & the flowers (which she loved)
We will be out there, THIS Saturday, doing our best to play our part in their story. You can find a working list of the items that will be put up for sale on Saturday HERE . You can also find more info on our WEBSITE and videos & more pictures on our FACEBOOK PAGE .
Buck Up & Bid! Bid! Bid!
Heather Kaspar