Photos from the Utopia farm in the town of Wirt

submitted by Valerie Ross, MD, of Houston, Texas; 2007

1

View from the bridge on Johnson Rd near the farm.

 

2

Parsonage for the Nile Seventh Day Baptist Church. Date unknown.  The Wells family at the Utopia farm were Seventh Day Baptists, as were many in that small enclave.

 

3

Nile Seventh Day Baptist Church, date unknown. The Wells family members were SDB's, as were many of the people in their hamlet.

 

4

 Looking out toward "the East Notch", a landmark then and now.

 

5

A painting of the old Wells farm, c 1880, probably done by John Sinnette. Note the notch in the background. The picture shows George Wells taking his favorite horse Snip out for a trip to Friendship. Mr. Sinnette lived across the road from the Utopia farm.

 

6

The "pink schoolhouse", Wirt district #6, 1914, Gertrude Wells is the teacher on the left. Gertrude was the eldest of the six Ernest Wells children (Gertrude, Ruth, Muriel, George, Mary, Richard) and was born at the Utopia farm in 1896. She received a teaching degree at Alfred. The schoolhouse was pink because of an error; instead of two cans of red paint, someone purchased a can of red and a can of white. Not wanting to waste, the colors were mixed together and the schoolhouse painted the resultant pink.

7

Painting of the pink schoolhouse, probably by John Sinnette, c. 1880

 

8

The "new" Utopia farmhouse, c. 1898

 

9

The Utopia farmhouse 1976. It was owned by Muriel (Wells) and Milton Scutt at that time.

 

10

The new Utopia farmhouse 1898. Nancy Ann (LeSuer) Wells is holding her granddaughter, Ruth. Ruth died at the age of 14 from a kidney ailment.

 

11

 "This old shantee" according to Nancy Ann (LeSuer) Wells, wife of George Wells, was Wells homestead c. 1880 before the "new" house was built in 1898.

 

12

Utopia farm, c. 1900, from across the road