Letter: Shireman property has interesting history

From: Clint Shireman

Columbus

I often get asked if I am related to the Shiremans who run the Homestead. The short answer is yes, but you will also receive a history lesson if you ask me. Before I continue, I am not discrediting the work of a local business. I have not visited the farm since it has become the Homestead and have heard no complaints from friends who have visited the family-friendly environment that fosters animals.

With that being said, the original Shireman farm is the next property to the south on the corners of County Road 500W and Georgetown Road, purchased and settled by the first Shireman to come to Bartholomew County.

Adam Scheuermann emigrated from Birkenau, Germany, in 1852 and worked in oyster bays in Maryland before changing his name to the current spelling of Shireman and moving to the Columbus area. Adam bought his first parcel of land in Harrison Township in 1871, and by the time of his death in 1889 owned 270 acres, which was divided among him and his wife Caroline’s six living children.

In 1893, Adam’s son, Henry Shireman Sr., began purchasing the ground from his brothers and sisters, accumulating a total of 181 acres of land. In 1945, Henry Sr. sold the land to his son, Henry Shireman Jr. Then in 1979, Henry Jr. sold the land to his son (my grandfather), Paul Shireman, who split it into two farms, selling 81 acres to his oldest son, Maurice Shireman.

This 181 acres was awarded the Hoosier Homestead Award in 1990 after the research done by Paul’s youngest son (my father), Mark Shireman, as a Christmas gift. If you’d like to read about the award or history of the farm, head to the library and look up The Republic archives from March 16, 1991. Search for “It’s tough to part Shireman from land,” and “Shiremans honored with Hoosier Homestead Award,” both written by Nancy Wheeler.

The land that the new Shireman Homestead sits on was purchased from Maurice Haymaker much more recently by another one of Adam Shireman’s descendants, Wendell Shireman. Later, the land was bought by Wendell’s son, Steve Shireman. The farm was and is home to Shireman Excavating and recently became known as the Shireman Homestead, which is run by Steve’s son, Matt, and daughter-in-law, Cheryl. The wooden barn on the property might be more than a century old, as they claim, but if it is, Shiremans did not build it.

I would not recommend visiting the original farm, as there are no hayrides or mini horses, but if you drive by you’ll see the old white farmhouse where my grandfather was born and the original barn that used to read “Shireman 1913” over the door until the weather removed it a few years ago. Instead, I encourage you to visit the new Homestead and enjoy the Christmas village with your family, see the headless horseman on Halloween and sponsor an animal for rehabilitation. Just know your history.