The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News - Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

One hundred twenty-six years of history went down in a cloud of dust last week in Hartley.

The old horse barn at the historic Patch-Eeten House on First Street Southeast was torn down June 11. An excavator operated by Dave Hobson took around an hour to demolish the structure, which had deteriorated beyond repair thanks to a weakening foundation and other issues.

"It was in really bad shape. You could walk in there and stick your hand right through the wall," said Howard Borchard, a local historian with vast knowledge of the Patch-Eeten property. "It was leaning pretty bad, but I think every...