The former Miley Dairy Farm, now our Nourish Good Food Education Center, holds a rich history here in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. Thank you to our friends at the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center for this wonderful information about our new history! Alfred (Al) William Miley was born on September 20, 1895 in the Town of Lima to George and Cresentia Groneveld Miley. Alfred worked at Pinehurst Farm at the age of 18 as a butter maker and served during World War II as a Private in Troop M, First Wisconsin Cavalry. Marjorie Sarah Van Ouwerkerk was born on June 11, 1898, to James Henry and Zelia Willard Van Ouwerkerk. She graduated from Sheboygan Falls High School in 1916, after which she attended Downer College (UW-Milwaukee) to study home economics. Their original barn was destroyed in a fire on August 26th, 1935. No livestock were lost in the fire, but the structure and threshed grain was lost in the fire. The barn was rebuilt in 1936. Unfortunately, the barn was destroyed by a second fire on June 11, 1952. A team of horses, two bulls and four calves perished in the fire. The entirety of the barn’s contents, including 100 tons of hay, a milking machine and the milk house equipment, were lost. The heat from the fire scorched corn growing 50 to 100 feet away from the barn. Thankfully, their main milking cows were out to pasture for the night. Damages were estimated at $34,000 at the time (which would be the equivalent of $325,500 today). The new barn was replaced in Fall of 1952. Alfred Miley passed away on June 8, 1964. His obituary stated, “One of Sheboygan County’s leading dairymen, Mr. Miley, 69, was the owner of one of the last independent dairies in the area. His farm was considered a model operation, and annually attracted hundreds of visitors from throughout the state.” Alfred and Marjorie even hosted students from Thailand in 1958. Three months after his passing, an auction was held to settle the estate after the retail milk route was sold. Cows, trucks and tractors, feed, and various equipment was sold. After 39 years, the Miley Dairy Farm was no longer in operation. Marjorie Miley continued leading a fulfilling life with her family and in the community, including winning various cooking contests and writing her own cookbook of recipes and stories. In 1979, at the age of 81, Marjorie had formally completed her schooling and obtained her associate degree from the University of Wisconsin in Sheboygan County. Marjorie passed away on January 28, 1999. A lifelong resident of Sheboygan Falls, Marjorie lived to be 100 years old. “They loved their community and their customers and through the years remained a constant influence in the community. Through their cattle and dairy business, they made many lasting friendships. During the great depression, Mr. and Mrs. Miley were always generous and continued to deliver milk, eggs, butter and vegetables to those customers who would have otherwise gone without.” - The Sheboygan Press, January 30th, 1999 The Miley Barn and 13-acre property was later purchased by Richard and Kristin Bemis, who worked to renovate the historic barn. The foundation was raised and as much original wood as possible was retained in the renovations. Beyond repair, the original silo was replicated using pieces of other silos. Richard and Kristin, with the help of Quasius Construction, had restored the barn to the beautiful structure you find standing today.

In August of 2018, Nourish moved to the downstairs office below the loft, and in December of 2018, Nourish accepted the donation of the barn and property to support our mission and programs as our new Good Food Education Center. Nourish staff, board members, and volunteers have since begun farming our educational farm and have added on our teaching and commercial kitchen thanks to the ongoing generosity of our community. Our physical facility, now a good-food hub, allows Nourish to address community gaps more efficiently and to serve as an educational resource and good-food destination!