Life Returns To Normal At Nelson Pioneer Farm

An autographed ball cap bearing the Presidents signature and some other items will join other artifacts at the Nelson Pioneer farm in commemoration of the visit.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – On a typical summer day, you can hear the wind rustling the leaves of the trees at Nelson Pioneer Farm. It’s almost as though if you sit and listen, you can hear the history talking to you.

Last week at Nelson Pioneer Farm was anything but typical. Instead of presenting history, it was helping to make it as one of only two times a sitting US President had visited the area.

Campaign staff and security personnel descended upon the sleepy historical farm, that is home to the Mahaska County Historical Society, earlier the previous week and started all the ground work for the Presidents visit, just as news of the visit started to circulate around town.

Amy Hay, curator at Nelson Pioneer Farm, wrote on their Facebook page a special memory she carries from the President’s visit. “I’ll share the moment that I’ll remember most. Board Members John Parker and Bob Strasser and I were asked to greet the President when he arrived. After we said our welcomes and had our pictures taken (yes, I got a hug!), I said to the President “I hope you’ll be able to take just a moment just to experience the peace of this place.” The tall man next to him (his bodyguard?) said to him “You’d like that, wouldn’t you!” And the President answered: “Yes, just to sit on the porch and put my feet up and have a lemonade! But . . .” and he laughed. What a very memorable week, day and moment.”

These agents were inspecting the main building at Nelson Pioneer Farm on August 9, in anticipation of the President’s visit on August 14th.

Hay said it was “fascinating” to see how everything came together as she watched members of Secret Service, White House Communications Agency, and the campaign staff work to prepare the farm for the visit. Hay had a ringside seat for the nearly week-long preparations that took place.

Another fun bit of information was that President Obama was scheduled to have lunch in the Nelson Home. Hay and others from the farm had to remove the furniture from the dining room and kitchen so it could be set for his lunch, and a chef had prepared chicken salad. Unfortunately, Obama had to leave before he ate lunch.

President Obama also held his speech under a walnut tree. Before his visit, the tree had to be trimmed and the walnuts hanging from its branches picked so an errant walnut didn’t disrupt the President while he spoke. Campaign staff could be seen just before the event picking up the few walnuts in the area that had found their way to Mother Earth.

Life is back to normal at the farm after some extensive cleanup, and it’s most recent visitor has already faded to a historical moment in time for Mahaska County.