Wayne and Judy Depner are the hosts of Shawano County’s 385th barn quilt, which is on display on their barn at N9632 Old Highway 47, Black Creek. The quilt, called Sunflower Star, was given to them by their children as a Christmas gift in 2021.
“We are so excited to finally have a barn quilt on our barn,” Judy said.
Wayne and Judy purchased the 86-acre farm in March 2012, from Dr. Elwyn Mantei, Marvin Mantei’s son, and moved there from Marinette. While the cropland is rented to farmers in the immediate area, Wayne and Judy have substantial gardens of flowers and vegetables. Judy, who is an avid canner, starts all plants from seed. Friends and neighbors are very interested in her canned goods, especially since no chemical enhancements are applied. Among the fruits she particularly likes to raise are gourds, from which she makes “thunder” gourds.
The barn on which the quilt is displayed is over 100 years old and is in excellent condition. The Depners put on a new roof to help preserve it and now use it for storage, especially for their large number of garden tools. The barn has the original stanchions as well as the gutter cleaner, which still works.
The area was developed by an Act of Congress in 1848 and the first private owner of the farm was John Marsh in 1876. Marvin Mantei bought the 86-acre farm on Oct. 7, 1944 from Edgar Helms.
Mantei dairy farmed with a herd of about 28 Holstein cows along with pigs and chickens. Milk from his dairy cows was sold to the White Lily Cheese Factory. In 1954, about two years before he sold the dairy cows, Mantei sold the pigs because they got out of their pen and damaged his garden. He kept raising chickens until the early 1960s. Marvin then raised dairy heifers as replacement stock for local dairy farmers before gradually switching to raising beef cattle until about 2000.
“Purchasing the farm and moving here from Marinette has been a very good decision,” Judy said. “It’s a great place to enjoy our gardens in our retirement years.”
The Depner barn quilt was painted by the Shawano County Barn Quilt Committee and was put on display by Keith and LeRoy Raddant of Raddant Electric in Shawano.
Sunflower Star brightens up barn quilt
