Henry and Catherine Eckerdt Farm

Henry and Catherine Eckerdt Farm is a mid-19th-century farmstead at the corner of Kelderhouse and Basch roads. Its yellow two-story clapboard house, porch and smaller outbuildings make this a brief exterior stop for anyone exploring Port Oneida's old farms. This isn't a house tour: the farmhouse entrance is closed to visitors. The approach crosses grass that can be uneven. For a photo, include some of the yard or an outbuilding; the porch alone misses the farmstead context.

Henry and Catherine came from Bohemia and settled here in 1862. Catherine served as a midwife and nurse, helping with births and caring for sick neighbors and passersby. She had no formal medical training, but her work made the farm a place people could turn for help.

The family grew corn, potatoes and grains, and kept cows, pigs, chickens and ducks. The house also hosted community dances: square dances, fox trots and waltzes with music from a Victrola or local musicians. The original log cabin was moved elsewhere, so the later farmhouse and its collection of outbuildings are what remain to see here.