Peter Jacobson and his uncle Henry Sunde, Paynesville, attended the Kandiyohi County Fair Thursday to accept a Century Farm commemorative certificate and building sign.
Sunde, 90, was born and raised on the farm now owned by Peter Jacobson, Paynesville. He was the second youngest of 10 children born to Edvard and Carrie Sunde. The farm is located in Roseville Township, southeast of Hawick. Jacobson is only the third generation to own the farm. Sunde's father, Edvard Sunde, purchased the farm from August Hansen on Dec. 30, 1895. Peter Hansen had homesteaded the farm upon purchasing 80 acres from the U.S. government on April 1, 1873.
Many of the early farm buildings are still standing and in use today. The original house was built in 1883 by Peter Hansen across the road from the present building site. Edvard Sunde was a carpenter on the project along with Ivar Lorentzen. Among the early buildings still standing are the barn which was built around the turn of the century, a granary, blacksmith shop, brooder house, snikkerstua (carpenter shed), and outhouse.
After Sunde purchased the Hansen farm in 1895, he moved the house across the road in 1905 and sold the kitchen to a neighboring family. A new kitchen was built onto the Sunde house at its new location. The original house measured 48 feet wide and was only 16 feet deep. Edvard used a room in the house as a workshop. When one of his daughters was married, the workshop was moved out of the house. The present house was built in 1975 by Peter and Lynne Jacobson.
"The best land is the south 40," Henry said, "if you could only flatten it out." Henry farmed from 1921 to 1968 with his brother John. John died in January of 1969. The two men were very conscious of how they farmed the land, utilizing crop rotation, grass waterways, and planting crosswise on the many rolling hills. Jacobson said he has no idea when the last time a hay field, they have named the stadium, was last plowed.
At the age of 68, Henry married Edna Pemble in 1974. Henry then sold the farm in 1974 to his nephew Peter Jacobson and he and his bride moved to Hawick. Today, the Sunde couple makes their home at 700 Stearns in Paynesville.
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