Our Iowa article

ALGONA ARTIST PLAYS MICHELANGELO AT CENTURY FARM

            St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome has nothing on a century farm located only a few miles outside of Algona. As a matter of fact, Michelangelo himself might be impressed with the work of local artist and high school teacher Mark Haverkamp, who has been painting murals of rural scenes on the home of Mike and Roseanne Schmit for the past several years.  Yes—you read correctly:  ON the home. 

            Mike and Roseanne came across this unique artistic idea on one of their many trips to Europe.  Both the Schmits have roots deep in Luxembourg and Germany and have visited that area quite a few times since the early 1970’s.   On a visit to Oberammergau, Germany they saw many examples of this unique kind of art:  scenes literally painted on the sides of home.    Upon returning home, they commissioned local artist Dave Strickland to paint a scene on their double garage. 

            Since then, they have commissioned Haverkamp to paint five scenes on their house proper, with two more in the works.  According to the artist, “The couple likes scenes with the theme of Early American Farming.  I have been painting these scenes in a more-or-less progressive manner.  I started with scenes from the pioneer days and then added some from the 1920’s.  The last scene I painted for the Schmits was from the 1950’s era.

            “Mike provides photos and other ideas that conjure up memories of his childhood.  Some of these ideas have come from covers of magazines like Wallace’s Farmers and others have come from books.  I combine the ideas and work up a rough sketch.  We work from there,” she said.

            Mary started out painting the murals directly onto the house itself, but had trouble getting the paint to adhere.    “It didn’t stick too well because of the oil-based stain on the house,” she said. “Even though we tried to remove the stain, enough remained to cause a problem.”

            Another problem she encountered was how, exactly, to get up high enough to use her paintbrushes.  “I started with a stepladder and then Mike set me up some scaffolding.  The scaffolding was more secure, but I was still out in the weather, dealing with the bugs and the heat and the wind.  Finally we solved both problems by painting the scenes on thin sheets of plywood and then adhering them to the house after they were completed.  This has worked much better,” said Mary.

            It isn’t just the large murals of one-room schoolhouses and horse-drawn plows that make the Schmit farm unique.  The original homestead of the property, built in approximately 1857, has been restored and sits basically in the front yard of the main house.    The log cabin was built by Mike and Sarah Schmit, who emigrated to the New World from Luxembourg when land became scarce there.  “They basically had two choices:  move to France and work in the coal mines or come to the ‘New Country’.  They chose to emigrate in 1855,” said Mike.

             Mike and Sarah lived in the one-room cabin until 1886 and raised three children there.  “I imagine it was pretty crowded,” said Rose, “with three young children underfoot in that tiny cabin.  I think they probably spent a lot of time outside.”

            When Mike started farming the land at the tender age of 16, he had no idea the log cabin was even there.  The structure had been covered with siding and used in a variety of capacities.    After purchasing the property from his father’s estate when he was 21, Mike discovered the cabin and uncovered its fascinating history.

Today the 19’ x 20’ cabin, which was built with locally grown oak, is restored and decorated with old quilts and other antiques from a day gone by.  “I’m even using one of our wedding presents out there—at slightly over fifty years it isn’t exactly an antique, but it still has plenty of memories,” said Rose.

            Mike, the grandson of the original owner, and Rose have one daughter Denise and three grandchildren.   Denise used to have sleepovers with her girlfriends in the old cabin.  “One time they were scared in a thunderstorm, so I had to bring a cot out and sleep downstairs while they camped in the lot,” said Mike. 

            “When I moved into the old farmhouse as a newlywed, my sister-in-law told me to be patient, I’d ‘get a new house eventually.’  Little did I know that not only would I build a beautiful house in 1977, but I’d also play a part in uncovering and restoring an historic log cabin. I guess you could say I have two houses now.”

            Between the cabin and the beautiful, original murals of rural farm life from days gone by, the Schmit century.farm is a unique piece of property indeed.