Curiosities: Farewell, Old Barns

The main barn on the old Meyer Klass property as it stood in 2018. Photo by Len Villano.

Some saw eyesores; others saw beautiful symbols of rustic rural life. For decades, a handful of barns, sheds and homes at the intersection of Highways 42 and 57 stood in disrepair, crumbling piece by piece, year after year, in view of the visitors who flock to northern Door County. 

Until October. That’s when the Town of Sevastopol finally had the slumped and dilapidated buildings demolished. 

Town Board Chair Dan Woelfel said the town condemned the buildings last year, and when the owner refused to clean up the property, the town was legally able to demolish the buildings on its own. The property still remains in private hands, and the costs of the demolition will be assessed to the property owner, Woelfel said. 

The site once housed Meyer Klass, a wheeler-dealer who traded horses, sold farm machinery and operated one of the largest dairy farms in the area for decades. Over the years, the property passed hands to relatives. The current owner is a niece, Nikki Henkin, who lives in New York City.