Grainnet

Written by Barb Selyem. Photos by Bruce Selyem

There are still about a dozen familes in Dawn, OH. Most live in century-old houses. Some have been restored, and some have simply aged.

Catalpa trees adorn the yards and shade the streets. There is a Norman Rockwell appeal to Dawn, though the town is much diminished in population and void of the old storefronts that used to line Main Street.

On the north side of Demming Street, which runs parallel to the railroad tracks, there is a quaint assortment of white houses with kept yards.

On the south side, next to the tracks, there are rows of steel grain bins, a warehouse, and a vintage metal-sided wood elevator. All the buildings—houses, storage, and elevator—belong to the Lyme family, who own Dawn Grain and Supply Co.

The Local Elevator’s History
“The early history of the wood elevator is somewhat sketchy,” says Doug Lyme, whose father Robert began working at the elevator in the 1960s.

“From old photographs, we can tell that the elevator was built some time after 1910,” Lyme says. “It became Dawn Grain, when Alvin and Clarence Steffen purchased it in 1927.

“The Steffen family owned the business for 33 years, then sold to James Sink and Ralph Househover in 1960,” Lyme says. “My dad became a partner in 1967.

“Househover sold out in 1976 and Sink in 1982,” Lyme continues. “Now, the business belongs to Dad and me.”

The wood elevator is cribbed and holds about 12,000 bushels.

Over the years, there have been several changes. The wood leg, though still standing minus belt and buckets, was idled in 1969 with the installation of a new 3,500-bph steel leg, a sheller, and a blower.

The original manlift still is operational. In 1982, the Lymes painted the elevator Purina red, white, and blue.

Over the years, as demand increased, they added 350,000 bushels of storage.

A Changing Role
At first, Dawn Grain supplied the community with many items such as coal for heating, but its main products were animal feeds.

In 1929, Dawn Grain became a Purina dealer. In recent years, as large livestock operations that buy directly from feed manufacturers replaced the small family farm, demand for Dawn Grain’s feed products decreased.

The company tried to concentrate more heavily on grain storage to compensate.

However, on July 14, 2006, the elevator closed its doors.

Remembering the Good Times
For Doug, the elevator represents much more than a business. He remembers, “As a kid, we really looked forward to going to the elevator.

“It just happened to have pop and peanut machines, and it was a real gathering place for local farmers,” Doug says.

“I remember warming myself in the winter near the old pot-bellied stove and listening to their stories.

“Keller Grain and Feed (Horatio, OH) is leasing the steel bin storage now, but the wood house is empty” Doug says.

“My Dad is trying to sell the business,” he continues. “There have been several lookers.

“Most are interested only in the bin storage, but the wood house will be part of the deal.”

Barbara and Bruce Selyem are directors of the Country Grain Elevator Historical Society. For more information, contact the society at 406-388-9282; e-mail: bselyem@country-grain-elevator-historical-society.org.

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