Our Roots
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Around the turn of the twentieth century, before the building known as Wanamaker Feed and Seed was a business, it served as a meeting location for the Indiana Chapter of the Cayuaga Tribe #266, Improved Order of Redmen-a lodge for New Bethel’s men. Approximately 40 years later, on January 31, 1944, Earl and Edna Hicks purchased the land from Clifford and Maisie Pollard. Earl had a vision for the old lodge, and built a feed mill inside using a grinder and a gasoline engine salvaged from a damaged 1925 Hupmobile, wrecked on a slick, snowy Acton Road. Mr. Hicks named his mill Wanamaker Feed and Grain. As business increased, Earl added on to the building and installed grain bins.
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In 1955, Rex Ranson acquired the business from the Hickses and closed it in 1961. The old mill sat vacant for a year until Ralph Prange, a Franklin Township resident with 10 years’ experience in the feed business, bought the land and building. He and his wife, Alethia, immediately doubled the size of the building and ran a successful business called, Wanamaker Feed and Seed, for sixteen years.
Courtesy of the Franklin Township Historical Society
Jim Trimble, 23 years old at the time, took over Wanamaker Feed and Seed on January 1, 1978. Prange stayed on for a year to help with the transition. During the first 22 years, Jim concentrated on adapting to the many changes occurring within the township. The residential housing market was growing, and the farm land was disappearing. Pet food and small animal feed and supplies became as important as the farm feed he had been mixing with the new mixing equipment he installed. Jim also adapted by adding a full hardware line after the local hardware store closed. Garden plants became a hot seller during the spring months, and eventually evolved to also include bedding flowers, hanging baskets, and perennials. Jim spent early mornings hand-picking these plants, a job he now gladly shares with his wife, Peggy.
In 2000, the building which formerly housed the Wanamaker Post Office, became Back Porch Garden. Back Porch Garden gave Jim the opportunity to grow his plant business, and to begin offering additional seasonal products such as bulk mulch, stone, and soil. In 2011, he added swimming pool supplies, renaming the business Back Porch Garden and Pool Center.
On July 29, 2011, Jim suffered a tragedy when lightning struck the ground in front of a container filled with bales of straw. A fire ensued and what was left of the feed store needed an enormous amount of restoration. It took 15 months of reconstruction and restocking of shelves, while Jim operated the business out of Back Porch Garden and Pool Center with a pared down version of his usual inventory.
On November 5, 2012, Wanamaker Feed and Seed reopened in its full capacity which still includes farm animal feed, pet food & treats, lawn care products, a full hardware line, water softener salt, bottled water, bird food, bird feeders, bulk & bagged mulch, soil and stone, spring and fall flowers, vegetable plants, pool supplies, and much more!
Courtesy of the Franklin Township Historical Society
Jim Trimble, 23 years old at the time, took over Wanamaker Feed and Seed on January 1, 1978. Prange stayed on for a year to help with the transition. During the first 22 years, Jim concentrated on adapting to the many changes occurring within the township. The residential housing market was growing, and the farm land was disappearing. Pet food and small animal feed and supplies became as important as the farm feed he had been mixing with the new mixing equipment he installed. Jim also adapted by adding a full hardware line after the local hardware store closed. Garden plants became a hot seller during the spring months, and eventually evolved to also include bedding flowers, hanging baskets, and perennials. Jim spent early mornings hand-picking these plants, a job he now gladly shares with his wife, Peggy.
In 2000, the building which formerly housed the Wanamaker Post Office, became Back Porch Garden. Back Porch Garden gave Jim the opportunity to grow his plant business, and to begin offering additional seasonal products such as bulk mulch, stone, and soil. In 2011, he added swimming pool supplies, renaming the business Back Porch Garden and Pool Center.
On July 29, 2011, Jim suffered a tragedy when lightning struck the ground in front of a container filled with bales of straw. A fire ensued and what was left of the feed store needed an enormous amount of restoration. It took 15 months of reconstruction and restocking of shelves, while Jim operated the business out of Back Porch Garden and Pool Center with a pared down version of his usual inventory.
On November 5, 2012, Wanamaker Feed and Seed reopened in its full capacity which still includes farm animal feed, pet food & treats, lawn care products, a full hardware line, water softener salt, bottled water, bird food, bird feeders, bulk & bagged mulch, soil and stone, spring and fall flowers, vegetable plants, pool supplies, and much more!
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