Description of Historic Place

The Selger Farms - Seed Farm, Barn and Shed is a Municipal Heritage Property located 14 km southeast of the Village of Craven on Flying Creek Road within the Rural Municipality of Lumsden No. 189. The property includes a two-storey frame farmhouse, a granary/garage, five non-contributing steel grain bins, and a pile of stones, which constitutes the remains of the barn and shed. The property is bordered on the west and north sides by a shelterbelt.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Selger Farms - Seed Farm, Barn and Shed lies in its longstanding use as a grain farm in the Rural Municipality of Lumsden and its association with the Seed family. Alexander and Isabell Seed, amongst the earliest pioneer families in the Tregarva District, homesteaded this land in 1886. The farm remained in the Seed family until 1974, when it was sold.

Heritage value also resides in the property’s status as a representative example of an evolving prairie farm operation at the turn of the twentieth century. The original Seed Farmhouse was constructed in 1887, and additions expanded the house in 1888 and 1905 to accommodate the growing needs of the family. These additions also reflect the success of the farm, which yielded sufficient returns to pay for not only the house additions, but also construction of a large barn (ca. 1900) and a stone shed (1901). Later structures included a windmill to generate electricity, a large granary, chicken house, pump house, and several smaller granaries. The stonework for the house, barn and machine shed was done by German stonemason Willie Wellwood, who boarded at the farm for several years. In addition, during the 1930s and 1940s, a shelterbelt was added to the western and northern borders of the farmyard to reduce the prevailing winds, thereby separating the family and work areas from the expansive open prairie surrounding the entire farmyard.

Heritage value also resides in the architectural design of the farmhouse, which exhibits a Victorian vernacular design common to late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century pioneer homes. This style can be observed in the irregular two-storey massing, steep gable roofs with protruding brick chimneys, the application of wood shingles in some of the gables, and the south-facing verandah. Only on the latter can one discern some of the late Victorian playful elements, such as the turned spindles and curved brackets supporting the verandah roof. Also, inside the house, fieldstone cellars and exposed brick chimneys are evident.

Heritage value also resides in the unusual grain elevator-like architectural design of the granary/garage. The exterior design for this structure was apparently based in part on that of large grain elevator, as represented in the square footprint and the hip roof surmounted by a substantial cupola. The interior featured a central drive-through passageway, with bins on either side. The cupola served to bring light and fresh air into the structure.

Sources:

Rural Municipality of Lumsden No. 189 Bylaw 3-99.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Selger Farms - Seed Farm, Barn and Shed resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those features that reflect the property’s use as a grain farm, such as the ongoing growing and harvesting of crops on the associated fields and the property’s position on its original location;
-those features that reflect the property’s status as a representative example of an evolving prairie farm operation at the turn of the twentieth century, including the presence of a farmhouse and various farm outbuildings, such as granaries;
-those exterior features that reflect the house’s Victorian vernacular architectural design, such as the irregular massing, steep gable roofs with protruding brick chimneys; the application of wood shingles in the gable ends; the open verandah on the south side of the house; and the presence of spindles and decorative brackets on the verandah, and the exposed brick chimneys;
-those exterior features that reflect the unusual grain elevator-like architectural design of the granary/garage, such as the medium-pitched hip roof with its central cupola;
-those features that reflect the property’s original landscape design and development, such as the shelterbelt on the west and north sides of the farmyard; and its situation close to the creek.