Ark Valley News - History in pieces

Local businessman Don Bennett (right) points to where the stone date sign was located on the elevator building at Main and Ash Dec. 12. The building was torn down. A smaller weigh-station facility will be constructed in its place.

History in pieces
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: December 18, 2014

Historic Main Street elevator store razed

A piece of Valley Center history was reduced to rubble last week as the grain elevator building at Main and Ash was torn down.

A smaller building will be constructed in its place.

"We looked at trying to remodel and keep the old front with the date on it," said Andale Farmers Cooperative general manager Steve Morris. "It was just way too expensive."

The 1919 building had been underutilized since daily, retail operation of the elevator was shut down in 2005. The building continued to be used as a weigh station and storage facility. However, that even stopped last year, when the elevator was solely an excess storage facility for the co-op's other locations.

That could change with next year's harvest, co-op officials said, depending on demand.

"Every year could be different," said Clint Matson, manager of Andale co-op's Sedgwick location.

Matson said a roughly 225-square-foot building, which will be used as a scale house, should be constructed by March. The existing scale will not be replaced or upgraded, he said.

Matson said there is no room or need for a larger scale at its current location. Semis utilize the co-op's elevator in Sedgwick.

The old building in Valley Center had deteriorated over the years. Water damaged the interior. The city prompted co-op officials to have the exterior painted last spring.

The building was razed Dec. 19. The stone sign on the north side of the former building, which read "19 Office 19," was saved. It was given to Don Jacob, former operator of the grain elevator.

"It's kind of sad to see it torn down," said Jacob, who worked at the elevator for 25 years and was operator from 1978 until his retirement in 1993. "… It was a place where the farmers all got together, smoked and told stories."

Nancy Purkey, who was manager of the co-op from 1988 to 1995, said the store held a lot of memories for folks in and around Valley Center.

"It was sad, but life changes," she said. "… There's no better group in the world than people who are involved in agriculture. It's just an important part of any community. … It was just a nice place for the farmers to congregate, share their ideas and new ways."

Local historians say the first grain elevator in Valley Center was built in the late 1800s. It was destroyed by fire in 1936.

A new elevator was constructed in its place. The complex grew to include larger bins in 1938 and in 1952.

Andale Co-op bought the elevator in 1989.