Shady Lawn Farm founded in love of family and farming

By Dusty Sonnenberg and Matt Reese

Joseph McKanna left Ohio to try agriculture in Kansas, but the endeavor did not work out well, so he returned to Ohio and settled near Grover Hill in Paulding County where he farmed and served as a county commissioner. His wife, Kezia, was originally from Lafayette in eastern Allen County and the couple spent quite a bit of time making the long journey from Grover Hill to Lafayette to visit her parents.

On one such trip in 1906, they came across a post card depicting a beautiful farm — with a shady grove of trees, an orchard and a big house for their 10 children (5 boys and 5 girls) — for sale near Columbus Grove in Putnam County.  

This postcard featuring an appealing Putnam County property, with good soils and much closer to his in-laws, captured the interest of Joseph McKanna in 1906.… Continue reading