March 29, 2024

Double-decker corn crib

Wire corn cribs make great gazebos. They’re sort of the art-deco, in-thing to have nowadays. People run around the countryside, buy up old cribs and relocate them to their yards.

But have you seen a double-decker corn crib? No? Well, Don and Judy Skinner of rural Montrose have one.

Tucked in their Garden-of-Eden paradise on the banks of the Mississippi River, Don and Judy also have a vine-covered windmill. But Judy wasn’t happy with just a windmill. She wanted a corn crib for her grandkids to play in, and not just any corn crib. She wanted a double-decker corn crib.

They scouted around the countryside of the tri-state area. There were many 10-foot cribs. They finally found two, twenty footers close to Montrose, and the owner would sell. One of the cribs was in good shape, the other had a tree growing in it. Don would dismantle it and use it for parts.

Finding a construction company that would relocate the 20-foot crib was a different story. They were told by several contractors that it couldn’t be done, that it would collapse.

But one contractor was optimistic. A  20-foot corn crib is made from two 10-foot sections, with an 8-foot cone on top — making a total of 28 feet. In February of 2010, a crane took the two 10-foot sections of the good crib apart, placed each on a wagon, and the cone on a third wagon. The three wagons snaked their way down the Old Coal Road, taking up the whole road, then onto the River Road. Don had reinforced the interior of the cribs with wooden supports so the walls wouldn’t collapse. The two 10-foot sections were placed back together carefully on the concrete pad that Don, his daughter, son-in-law, and two grandkids had poured. Finally, the cone was placed on top.

Now the real work began. Don dismantled the left-behind corn crib for parts, bolt-by-bolt, panel-by-panel. There were 740 bolts, to be exact, and 11 4-by-10 foot panels.

He painstakingly began construction of the interior deck for his new crib. In his sixties, Don is quite handy, and can make most anything from wood. Using clamps and braces, he began the construction of an overhead deck, one board at a time.

But how to construct a stairway to the second deck? It came to Don in a dream. He sat up and scribbled down the design. He would build a spiral staircase utilizing the panels from the dismantled crib. Voila! — a double-decker corn crib. Don and Judy have stylishly decorated the double-decker with old window frames, a turn-of-the-century screen door, wagon wheels for chandeliers, and even a four-foot spider on the roof. The second-floor chandelier is complete with a statue of an owl sitting on a spoke to keep birds from roosting.

When family or friends come, they often congregate and picnic in the crib. Even on sweltering days, there is usually a breeze on the second deck. For added excitement, the double-decker crib sways a little bit, for that swinging-bridge effect. Fun! And exciting, for kids and adults!

Their grandkids haven’t slept in the crib yet, but it may happen when or if Don adds electricity. He may utilize solar lighting.

People drive by slowly, marveling at the crib and windmill. Don waves them in for a personal tour and a retelling of how the double-decker corn crib came to be. People also marvel at the garden setting of Don and Judy’s yard. There are grapes, raspberries, pear, peach, and cherry trees, tomato vines, redbud trees, honeysuckle, yellow trumpet vine, wisteria, chocolate vine, white clematis and flowers galore. There is always something blooming in Don and Judy’s yard. A weeping willow and fish pool round out this little piece of heaven.

Don and Judy must be retired to accomplish all this. Right?

Nope.  Don and Judy both work full-time — Judy at Wal-Mart in Keokuk (at 66, she’s retiring in September), and Don as a maintenance person at the Montrose Health Center. Don, now 68, plans on working until he’s 70, maybe longer. According to Judy, he’s afraid to retire. Because of her honey-do list.

Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at (319) 217-0526, email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com or visit his website at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com.