THE HISTORY OF THE OLD HARDY PLACE
Corner of 112th & Riverdale Road
The old house that is presently owned by Frances Kawano and her brothers is located on the corner of 112th and Riverdale Road. They also own the surrounding eighty acres of land. Almost all of the land in this area was originally owned by the Eppinger family in the 1800's. The land has always been used for farming. The Kawanos still use the land predominantly for farming.
The well next to the house was drilled in 1908 and the house was built shortly after that. The exact date is unknown. Fred Hardy built the house for his wife and himself. They bought the land from the Eppingers. The Eppingers still farmed on the land for a few years after the house had been built. In 1943, Frances Kawano's parents bought Fred Hardy's house and then handed it down to Frances and her brothers. She now lives there with her husband.
The exterior of the house still looks the same. The Kawanos rewired the whole house after they had bought it. They have a tower off to the south end, behind the house, where a windmill used to be. The windmill was used to pump water for the yard. When the Kawanos bought the house, they Installed an electric pump to water the yard, and soon after sold the windmill. The tower still stand with the water tank on top.
The house has been kept up by the Kawanos. It has, of course, aged some, but it is still in good condition. It has a basement and and indoor back porch which leads to the kitchen. The kitchen leads to a small living room with the bedrooms and bathroom on the north side of the front room.
The outside of the house is made of brick on three sides and shingles on the west side. The roof and sides are green and painted regularly.
OLD WELL HOUSE
The Kawanos state they plan on remaining there and usethe land to farm, as they presently do.
The Farming Land
The land in this area has always been good for farming since it lies near the Platte River flood plain.
Two of the oldest farms around the area are the Clark Place, built in 1880 and the Parker Klein Farm, built in 1880 which is catty-corner from the Hardy place.
The three main types of farming in this area are grain farming, vegetable farming, and cattle grazing.
The entire area is irrigated by the Clear Creek Ditch Co. While this area is excellent farm land, the growth trends of the metro area indicate that this land may eventually become residential or commercial. If this happens, many of the older homes may be forced to give way to new development.
Acknowledgments
Mr. Phil Bruchez
Mrs. Adeline Eppinger
Mr. Art Eppinger
Mr. Bim Eppinger
Proctor Nott
Mrs. Staneck
Mrs. Dorothy Winfrey (Novak)
Mrs. Frances Kawano