BUILDINGS of the Ensor Park & Museum

1. The first of the farm buildings was the 1875 CABIN. Mr. William McCabe lived in it while beginning construction on the north barn and later, the house. The Cabin had a dirt floor, window and loft, accessed by a ladder on the wall. A cement floor was added in later years and Marshall Ensor used the cabin to cure wood for his projects. Today numerous farm objects are stored in it.

2. The 1889 NORTH BARN is 24 feet wide and 40 feet long. It is a "peg barn" where the main structure is joined by wooden ‘pegs’. Nails were used on the roof, sides and flooring. It stabled up to 5 horses in the south side, 2 grain bins in the North side and had room for a farm wagon in the middle section by the driveway. A hayloft was above the entire structure, and was gotten to by climbing a ladder. There is now a stairway to the loft, which is used for storage. The three areas at ground level are used for the display of shop equipment used by Ensor in his career as Manual Arts Instructor as well as the large variety of his radio equipment going back to before the 1920s. Other items of his military work, travels, and diverse interests are on display in the peg barn.

3. In 1890, Bill McCabe began work on the HOUSE. Only a year passed when he died of pneumonia. Over the following years the 80 acres became 120 acres in the hands of other owners. In 1909 Jacob Ensor paid $12,000.00 for all. From 1912 to 1916, the front and back porches were added as well as the bay windows on the west side of the house. The concrete stairs were added to the basement in 1930 and the South basement was dug out, walled and a water pump and tank installed and later a bathroom and attic sprinkler system. In 1935 commercial electricity came and the radio room was added onto the East side. A Badger 12" searchlight from a Kansas City streetcar was added outside the room. Contents of the house are elaborated on elsewhere.

4. - 5. (Separate photo) The SUMMER KITCHEN and MEAT HOUSE, stand close together just to the South of the house. The summer kitchen was brought to the farm after the Ensors moved there. It had been a small cabin home, incredibly used by a family of 13. It has a wooden floor, front and rear doors and two windows. The Ensors used it as a summer kitchen and later, a wash shed. Several interesting articles reside in it.

The MEAT HOUSE is much smaller than the summer kitchen and is very near. It was used to store meat and other perishable items during winter months. During summer months, perishables were stored in the cistern by the North barn.

6. - 6a The BROODER HOUSE is where fertilized eggs were incubated, chicks hatched and were raised until they were able to join the chicken flock. The CHICKEN COOP was where hens roosted and laid eggs.

7. The MACHINE SHED is where repairs were made to equipment around the farm. It contains a welder, hoist, battery charger and the 1949 Ford coupe of Marshall Ensor.

8. The DAIRY BARN was built by the Ensors during the 1920s. The herd of dairy cows was milked here. An unusual cement SILO is at the back of the barn and stored feed for the cattle. Marshall and his father, Jacob Ensor poured cement into molds section at a time requiring much labor. It is without flaws today. Only the milking area of the dairy barn has a cement floor complete with a center drain trough for keeping the area clean. The rest of the barn offers useful storage.