Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Hay Made While Sun Was Shining At High Ground Museum

“See how it was done 100 years ago.”

That was the invitation given by Lloyd and Marlene Florence for folks to come spend Sunday afternoon at their High Ground Museum, located northeast of Council Grove on Old Highway 4.

Sure enough, more than 100 visitors from a half-dozen counties in a 100-mile radius came to watch horse-powered hay harvest and baling.

“We really had a great crowd, and everybody seemed to have a good time and want to get involved,” summarized Lloyd Florence, who has collected things all of his life.

“We now have many of our collections housed in these buildings, and we want to share them with others,” he emphasized.

Of course, the haying operations were what attracted the most attention as cars parked along the immaculate orchard beside the farm driveway and watched as Bruce Anderson of Americus mowed native Flint Hills prairie grass with a century-old mower powered by his two black Draft Horses.

The sun was drying the grass fast enough that his dad, Ralph Anderson, Council Grove, soon was following behind with his Belgian team pulling an antique dump rake to rake the meadow to be stacked or baled into hay.

Both hay storage methods were shown, but the 1920’s horse-powered stationary baler, owned and operated by Lester and Betty Edmunds of Americus, had to be the highlight of the presentations.

Several of those in attendance got right in on the action with pitchforks, typically displayed in the High Ground Museum, and fed the prairie grass into the stationary baler as wire-tired bales came out the opposite end.

But, that wasn’t near all there was to see, according to Dorothy Anderson and Jimmie Masters, who were among those also assisting with the day’s diverse activities.

“There was butter churning, rug hooking and many of the visitors, both the kids and the adults, got a kick out of the experience of grinding corn into meal the old-fashioned way,” Mrs. Anderson commented.

Originally from the Rock Creek township of Wabaunsee County, Lloyd Florence started collecting things after he found a petrified animal heart when he was just 13 years old.

“This is one of my most prized possessions, and it has been certified by college anthropologists to be a petrified heart,” said Florence as he pointed out the heart in one of many showcases in the museum.

Florence and his wife, Marlene, have lived on their 62-acre Morris County farm about 18 years and have been enthusiastically adding to the collection the entire time.

“We go to farm sales, flea markets, garage sales, wherever. Sometimes we load up in the camper and just take off to see what we can find,” said Florence. “We’ve made lots of acquaintances, and now people often call us when they have something they think we’d like to have.

“After I retired as a welder from working in a couple of factories in town, we decided to display our collections so other people could enjoy them as much as we do,” Florence pointed out.

Three main buildings house the wide variety of historical pieces, many used more than a century ago.

“They mostly all relate to agriculture back when my dad and grandfather were making a living on the farm,” Florence contended.

The corn husking pegs and calf weaners are two of the collections that are especially close to Florence’s heart.

“Most people don’t have a clue what either one of these things are for, and they are really surprised that there are so many different kinds.”

Speaking of variety, the barbed wire and brick collections have literally dozens of pieces collected from throughout the Midwest.

The large license tag collection is also one of the most unique and complete in the state.

“Now not all of the items housed here are ours,” Florence credited. “Since we’ve started displaying our collections, there have been a lot of people who have donated or let us show their unique collectibles, too.”

Most everything in the museum is clearly identified, and much of it is cataloged for reference.

Marlene Florence collects anything to do with M&M candy, and one building strictly houses all of that compilation.

“Most people don’t realize how many things there are to do with one kind of candy,” admitted Mrs. Florence, while showing a series of M&M dispensers dating back several decades.

“We have a lot of odd things,” Florence admitted.

In an understatement, he pointed out, “We kinda just enjoy collecting.”

However, Florence emphasized, “As much as we like what we have here, we sure want to have others share in it, too. We are happy to open the doors whenever we are around or by just giving us a call for an appointment.

“There’s no charge because this is what we like to do,” Florence welcomed

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