Purdy Family Background

The history of the Thumb Octagon Barn begins back in 1869 when James Luther Purdy was born in Pontiac, Michigan. In 1890, at the age of 21, James joined his father at the Bank of P.C. Purdy and Son in Gagetown, Michigan. Soon after, he met and, in 1894, married Cora Ozella Warner of Cass City and they moved into their home above the bank in Gagetown. They had two daughters: Florence (1900-1985) and Carolyn (1907-1969). Carolyn Purdy Wilson had three sons. George Wilson is still living in the area.

James demonstrated much natural ability in the banking profession and soon became its President. Under his leadership the bank flourished and was one of two banks in Michigan to remain solvent during the Great Depression. Post depression Americans had become very leery of banks so James Purdy met with other bankers in Lansing and formulated a plan through which they believed faith could be restored to the banking system. They felt that the Federal Government should insure the investor’s money. Mr. Purdy traveled to Washington to talk to Michigan Senator Arthur Vandenburg (Grand Rapids) who introduced the bill into the Senate. It gained the support of President Franklin Roosevelt and led to the formation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC).

While traveling through Iowa during the early part of the century James Purdy saw an octagonal barn and was determined to build a similar structure. In 1895 he bought a 40 acre parcel of land just east of Richie Road. Eventually he purchased a total of 560 acres, which included the 40 acres where the buildings now stand.

Cora Purdy kept 59 years of wonderful diaries from 1895-1954 and her grandson, James Purdy Wilson of Caro, Michigan, has preserved these. He donated these to the “Friends” and they have been extremely valuable in documenting events as they relate to the early days of life at the Octagon Barn Complex.

The End of an Era

In 1942 James and Cora Purdy sold the farm and moved back into the Village of Gagetown. James Purdy died on Christmas Eve, 1950 at the age of 80 and Cora died in 1955, age 86.

During subsequent years the farm had a number of owners and during that time parcels of land were sold off. By 1990 the deed for the 80-acre parcel including the buildings was in the hands of the Pinney State Bank of Cass City (now a part of Chemical Bank).

A New Beginning

On October 10, 1991 the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) purchased the 80 acres from the bank for $49,500. The DNR was interested in the land because it connected two large parcels that were already a part of the Gagetown State Game Area. However, the DNR was not interested in the buildings. By this time they were in total disrepair and they looked at them as a liability and stated that they be sold and removed or simply demolished.

Upon learning of this, a group of local citizens organized. They knew that by having it on the historic registry it could not be demolished. Through contacts at the state level, they found former owner Zsigmond Egey-Samu had placed the barn on the Michigan State Registry of Historic Sites on August 12, 1977 called the “Round Barn”. At the same time a Tuscola County organization known as Tuscola 2001, was taking an active interest in the barn. On January 31, 1994 the “Tuscola 2001” committee hosted a meeting and this was the beginning of a formal effort to “Save the Barn.

With negotiations still going on with the DNR, the committee forged ahead and on August 20, 1994, they hosted the first Octagon Barn Festival in Gagetown. Their purpose was to draw attention to the project and raise money to further their cause.

On October 11, 1994, the committee changed its name to “The Friends of the Thumb Octagon Barn” and planned more fundraisers.

The “Friends”, working with the DNR officials to obtain rights to use the land and restore the buildings, ultimately received a three year Memorandum of Understanding from the DNR on January 18, 1996. Under this agreement the DNR allowed the Friends to commence restoration of the buildings, gave them control of approximately 8.2 acres of land and permission to hold events on the site. In return the “Friends’ had to provide liability insurance for the property and put together a twenty-five year plan outlining their goals and objectives for the site.

The paperwork to acquire corporate non-profit status was completed and on August 19, 1997 they became a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit corporation.

Additions to the Original Site

Once the original buildings at the site were restored to the point that they were secured from further deterioration, the Friends set a goal to develop an Agricultural Museum for the Thumb Area. The original plan was to restore each building on the site and to display period appropriate items in each to tell a story.

Host Couples

The caretaker program was started in 1999. The purpose for establishing this program was three-fold. First we were starting to attract a lot of attention from people both in and out of the area. Each day, throughout the summer people were stopping to check this landmark. It became apparent that someone must be available to meet and greet these visitors and give them a brief history of the site. The second reason for needing a host couple was to provide some security to the site. As we worked to restore the structures, we were investing considerable time and money into this effort. Finally we were also re-establishing the lawn and flowerbeds. As with any yard, this required weekly attention during the summer months.

In 2003 a classified ad was put in the “Highways Magazine”. This plan has been successful with couples returning for two or more years and coming from all over Michigan, as well as a number from out of State.

Fall Family Days

The creation of “Fall Family Days” came as a result of the “Friends’ mission statement to educate the public about the agricultural heritage of rural America in the early 1900’s.

The first event was a one-day activity on September 14, 1996. It drew about 100 visitors. The second year drew a crowd of more than 2,000 people and it took off from there.

In 1999 The Fall Family Days were increased to two days because it was drawing visitors and exhibitors from the far corners of Michigan and even out of state.

The activities officially open Saturday morning with a flag raising ceremony and the singing of the National Anthem.

Visitors are given a tractor drawn shuttle ride to the site from the parking area across the road. The barn, home, one room country school, powerhouse, sawmill, sugar shack and grain elevator are open for tours with live old-fashioned music on the grounds. There are lots of homemade foods to eat and live field demonstrations. A different theme each year enhances the fun and gives visitors something new to look forward to. The last several years Fall Family Days have drawn 15,000 visitors.

School Tours

School Tours began in 1996 when teachers were scheduled to bring their students to the barn to see farm animals, tour the barn and house, learn about early barn building, sheep sheering, etc. The first year 500 students attended and today over 1200 young people come from all over the Thumb and beyond. School Tours has become an annual field trip for students from pre-school through 8th grade and is held the second week in May on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the school day. Volunteers from various backgrounds introduce the students to the history of rural America. As they visit more than 20 educational stations on the site including the Barn, the Purdy home and the One Room Country School they learn what life was like many years ago.

Annual Meeting/Dinner/ Benefit Auction

Since 1997 the “Friends” have had an annual meeting to recap the year’s activities and to honor people and businesses from the area that have played a major role in helping to obtain the goals of the organization.

The Barn Yard Sale

In 2007, the idea of having a Barn Yard Sale came about as a way of eliminating some of the duplicate items that had been donated to our Museum. It would have a two-fold benefit. It would clear out some items giving more storage space and provide funding to further the Museum goal. The group chose Memorial Day weekend thinking there would be more people on the road that weekend. A food concession was set up and run by volunteers from the “Friends”. Advertisements went out to invite crafters, flea market vendors and individuals who might want to sell personal items.

The Afternoon “Tea”

For a number of years the House Committee had been considering the idea of having an afternoon “Tea” in the Purdy home. Using the surroundings and atmosphere, ladies attending the tea could step back in time and experience a social gathering similar to those their Mothers and Grandmothers may have attended. The first “Tea” was held in the fall of 2007 and was attended by eight ladies, some in period attire. Since that time three such events have been held during the summer months and have grown from the “Tea’ to luncheons and dinners.

Site Tours

The Friends welcome visitors to the site from May through October from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

Tours can be arranged for groups of 10 or more by calling (989) 665-2296. Several weeks notice of a planned visit is suggested when date and length of time on site can be discussed. The tour of both the barn and house generally takes about 90 minutes but can be adjusted depending on available time for your groups visit. There is a nominal fee for tours. Also, the Octagon Barn site can be reserved for large group picnics, reunions, and other group gatherings. Guidelines, expenses and restrictions can be obtained by calling (989) 665-2296.

Thanks for Support

The Friends of the Thumb Octagon Barn have been quite successful in raising the needed funds to restore the structures and move towards our goal of creating the Thumb Agricultural Museum thanks to the support of the community and the many who volunteer their time and talent.