The William A. Leet/Frederick H. Hassler Farmstead District, or the Leet/Hassler Farmstead, is located in southwestern Carroll County, Iowa and is named for the two owners of the property responsible for the construction of the house and garage (Leet) and the construction of the barn and most of the other outbuildings (Hassler). The farmstead is specifically sited at the eastern edge of the city of Manning south of Iowa Highway 141. It is separated from the highway by Willow Creek Park, with a gravel road (311th Street) separating the farmstead from the park. The farmstead is on the south side of this gravel road, with a half-circle driveway entering the farm near its northwest corner and exiting at its northeast corner. Most of the buildings and structures are on the south side of this driveway, with only the boar house on the north side. The farmstead occupies a rise overlooking Willow Creek and 311th Street, with a steep bank along the north edge that is largely wooded. The property levels out to the south where it presently borders an agricultural field. Wooded areas frame the southwest and western edges of the farmstead district, with the remainder of the property presently a maintained grassy lawn spotted with shade trees and shrubbery. The buildings and structures include a house, garage, barn, hog house, chicken house, scale house, boar house, and corncrib, with only the corncrib considered non-contributing to this district because it post-dates the period of significance between 1916-1936. The Craftsman-style house and three-bay garage were built c.1916 when the farmstead was established by William A. Leet. The next owner, Frederick H. Hassler, added the braced-rafter gambrel-roofed barn in 1917 followed by the hog house, chicken house, scale house, and boar house in the late 1910s-I920s. The corncrib was added by a subsequent owner in 1943. Adding to the significance of this property are four contributing objects, two rock, planters, one birdbath, and a fishpond located off the front of the house to the north and northeast that were constructed by a local mason c.1916. Overall, the farmstead retains very good integrity having been little changed from its appearance during the period of significance when it functioned as a purebred Poland China Hog farming operation.

Oral history indicates that the house and garage on the farm property were built by William Leet c.1916-17. According to Fred Hassler's granddaughter, Marsha Blanford (Personal communication 1998), Hassler, who was then working for Leet and living on the farm property, told Leet where it would be best to build the house seeming to "know he would live there" one day. The house and garage were built at the same time and reflect the wealth and taste of William Leet. These buildings also reflect the popular architectural styles of the day as well, with the bungalow house exhibiting the stylistic influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Craftsman style of architecture. The house and garage were built by local masons and partners, Hans Detlefsen and Fritz (or Fred) Thoms (Max Detlefsen, personal communication 1997). Members of their crew included "tenders," Adolph Thede and Henry Kemme. Thede died from the Spanish influenza in 1918, and Kemme moved to Oregon in the 1920s. Hans Detlefsen and Fritz Thoms knew one another from their native Germany and went into business in Manning together in the 1910s. They specialized in brickwork, plastering and stucco, all used in the construction of both the house and garage. Either Hannes Hass or his son, Herbert Hass, or both, were the carpenters with whom they generally worked on projects. Hans Detlefsen was also adept at building fieldstone birdbaths and other yard decorations and was responsible for these objects in the front and side yards of the Leet house including two planters, a large bird bath, and a fish pond (ibid.). Detlefsen continued to work into the late 1940s in Manning, while Thoms moved on to Toledo, Ohio, in the 1920s (ibid.). Other buildings that Detlefsen and 'Moms worked on in Manning include the Ode Funeral Home, the remodeling of the Manning Creamery, and the masonry and stucco work on the Gord Sutherland, A.W. Martin, Jim Mork, Dick Crandell, and Henry Rohr houses (ibid,).

The tile block gateposts at the northwest and northeast entrances to the farmstead were also built around the same time as the house and garage by Detlefsen and Thoms' crew. Max Detlefsen (Personal communication 1997) related that William Leet brought out a new roll of dimes while the cement was being worked up for the caps for the gate posts and threw the roll into the mix. Interestingly, this story has evolved through the years into gold coins rather than the actual dimes.

An inscription in the cement work of the barn indicated that it was built in 1917 by Fritz Thoms, and it is likely that the other tile block outbuildings were built by Thoms in partnership with Detlefsen around the same time. These outbuildings include the chicken house, the scale house, the hog house, and the boar house. The barn and these outbuildings would have been built under Fred Hassler's guidance and direction either as owner or as farm manager for Leet. It is known that Hassler did not receive clear title to this property until January 19, 1918; therefore, the barn was built while he was the farm manager rather than the official property owner (Property abstract). Closer examination of the construction of the tile block outbuildings revealed that the blocks used in the construction of the hog house and the scale house are identical to those used in the barn (i.e., ridged blocks with bullnose, or rounded corners, and having similar colors). This strongly suggests that these three buildings: the hog house, the scale house and the barn were built around the same time using materials obtained from the same tile factory. The tile blocks used in the chicken house and the boar house, on the other hand, are similar to one another but different from those in the other three outbuildings. These tile blocks consist of a combination of smoothed tile blocks and corner bricks, which are not rounded. This would suggest contemporaneity in the construction of the chicken house and boar house, probably post-dating the construction of the other buildings.

The hog house also incorporates an old railroad building in its construction. The latter appears to be a freight house and may have been moved to this spot from the nearby rail line or from a stop in Manning along this route. The Audubon branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul was abandoned in 1936; therefore, the building might have been moved.1936 Erwin Hansen, personal communication 1997).

The only other outbuilding is a double corncrib built in 1943 by Chris Pfoltner and, therefore, post-dates the period of significance for the Leet-Hassler farmstead.

A review of the property abstract for the farmstead would suggest that the house and garage were likely constructed during the building season of 1916 since Led did not obtain title to the property until November of 1915, a date that would have been too late in the season to pour concrete and complete masonry work. The abstract also indicates that by July 1916, the Leets were needing electricity out to the property, and by October 1916 they were in need of a $30,000 mortgage on the property, perhaps to pay for the house and garage? However, by December 1916, the Leet's marriage was crumbling, with a divorce petition filed that month. The divorce was granted in November 1917, with Aim awarded a sizable settlement. Two months later, in January 1918, the property was deeded to Fred Hassler. As noted above, the inscribed date on the barn is "1917;" therefore, the barn was built while the property was still officially owned by Leet but was likely built under the direction of Fred Hassler, who was managing the farm operation for Leet. It is not known exactly when Hassler began occupying the house an this property, whether it was before or after January 1918, but he and his wife, Glenna, and their children definitely were living in the house between 1918 and 1936 when they sold the farm and moved into Manning (Property Abstract; Erwin Hansen, personal communication 1997).

In summary, the suspected construction history of the farmstead is as follows:

House and Garage - Both the house and garage were constructed iii 1916 for William and Ann Leet by masons and plasterers, Detlefsen and Thoms with the likely help of carpenter, Herbert Hass, or his father Hannes Hass. The garage was specifically milt to house cars and not "carriages," thus its proper label is a garage and not a carriage house, although it is not your ordinary garage even for the times in which it was built.

The house is a 1.5-story bungalow with a low-pitched side-gabled roof that extends out over the integral front porch and has a single gabled dormer on the front roof slope. The roof was recently reshingled with wood shingles, while the walls are stuff and the foundation is concrete block. Exterior features of note include the rounded, one-story bay window on the west side sunroom and the cantilevered, rectangular shed-roofed bay window on the east-side dining room. The front porch is supported by two half-height battered wooden posts on a concrete and stucco rail and base. A wide center stair leads up onto he porch and facing the front doorway. The door is flanked by tripled and paired windows. All of the windows are Craftsman-multi-pane over single-pane double-hung windows. The front door itself is a solid wood door with an Arts-and-Craft style door handle mechanism. The porch light is also an Arts-and-Crafts fixture. A gabled roofed porch is at the rear of the house. This porch was originally open but was later enclosed. The wooden posts from the original porch are being stored on the farmstead in the event that the rear porch is ever restored to its original look. A brick chimney pierces the wide roof overhang on the west-side living room exterior. False beam brackets accent the cave overhang of the roof. Interior details of note include the faux ceiling beams, window seats, and French doors in the dining room and sunroom; the brick fireplace with built-in bookcases to either side in the living room, along with the imported ceramic tiles used on this fireplace; the built-in light sockets on either side of the living room fireplace/bookcases and on the landing of the staircase leading to the second floor; the original fixtures including pedestalled sinks, bathtubs, and tilework in the first and second-floor bathrooms; and many of the original electric light fixtures including a distinctive torch light in the sunroom. The closet in the sunroom also retains the original wall finish of painted faux leather. The only room to have undergone extensive remodeling has been the kitchen, which was updated after the period of significance. The basement is of particular note, with several rooms finished with lathe and plaster and wainscot and were used by Glenna Hassler as a kitchen and dining room, probably most often during the summer months. In general, the house retains excellent integrity having been little changed since its original construction. The original flooring, woodwork, and decorative details are largely intact along with the plumbing and lighting fixtures.

The garage mirrors the style and design of the house having a low-pitched, side-gabled roof with wide cave overhang and false beam brackets, gabled dormer on the front roof slope, stuccoed walls, and Craftsman-style windows. This is also a 1.5 story building with the second level used for a servant's quarters. The front facade has three-bay openings covered with three sets of open-out garage doors that are original to the garage construction. Interior details of note include the lathe-and-plaster with wainscoted interior of the garage proper, a finishing touch most unusual for an automobile garage, and the electrical control panel housed in an enclosed area off the back kitchen on the ground floor. The control panel is original to the construction of this property, with the house and garage having been electrified from the start. The garage retains excellent integrity overall.

Barn - The gambrel-roofed barn was built in 1917 by Detlefsen and Thoms while Leet was still owner but under Fred Hassler's direction. In general, the barn is of plank frame and masonry (tile block) construction (Soike 1995). Tile blocks were most popular in the 1910s-1930s. The believed construction date for this barn of 1917 is supported by an inscription in the cement under one window on the interior of the barn that reads "F. Thoms 1917" and by the use of tile blocks in its construction. The "F. Thoms" was builder Fritz Thoms. The truss uses doubled planks nailed into place and supporting a gambrel roof clad with wood shingles. The roof is in need of replacement. The upper floor exterior walls are clad with vertical boards and metal battens. A metal cupola ventilator is on the roof ridge. The loft windows/vents have peaked lintel boards, wrath the overlapping boards, on either side of the slide-down mow door, having pointed ends for a decorative denticulated effect. A faded painted sign on the mow door reads "Fashion Herd/Poland Chinas/Glenhaven Farm/F.H. Hassler."

The barn plan is probably a catalog design from the Louden Machinery Company in Fairfield, Iowa, which manufactured the window ventilation system installed in this barn (patented in 1916) and the exterior hay track. This company also provided sample plans, including floor plans in the early twentieth century (Soike 1995:1 58). Another possible source for the barn design could have been the Gordon-Van Tine Company of Davenport, Iowa (ibid.: 159); however, the connection to the Louden Company appears strongest. The use of concrete for flooring and tile block for the wall construction of this particular barn also reflects the use of the latest innovations in barn design and livestock production of the day. In the early twentieth century, both concrete flooring and tile block walls were heavily promoted as making barns somewhat "fireproof" and easier to clean, thus being easier to keep sanitary and free from disease, a factor of great importance to an expensive purebred hog operation (Harper and Gordon 1995:220). Hollow tile was also an added expense over concrete and plank walls and required skilled masons for its proper installation, thus indicating that the barn on the Leet Farm was meant to impress and to reflect the most progressive ideas in farm buildings and livestock production of the day. Overall, the barn retains excellent integrity and has been little changed from its original construction. The ground level is subdivided into stalls, bins, and loafing areas with the loft area a single open span used originally for hay storage but also served as a hall for public dances during the Depression years.

Scale House and Hog House - It is suspected that these two buildings were built c.1917 by Thoms in likely association with Detlefsen under Fred Hassler's direction and/or ownership. They were probably built around the same time as the barn because of the use of similar tile block types in their construction. The hog house also incorporates a frame railroad structure (freight house?) into its construction. The railroad structure would have been moved to this location and joined with the hog house structure. As such, it could date from c.1917 in its move, although it could have been moved at a much later date and added to the hog house. The railroad structure served as a loafing shed after it was moved.

The scale house is a one-story side-gabled building that has tile block walls, concrete foundation, and a wood-shingled roof. The scale was on the exterior of the north gable end. The interior retains the original scale machinery as well as a cast-iron heating stove and the original bathroom fixtures, which include an innovative toilet and sink design (see attached photographs).

The hog house is a saltbox gabled structure with tile block walls, concrete foundation, and wood-shingled roof. The gable ends are clad with vertical board-and-batten siding. Two small metal ventilators are on the roof ridge. The interior shows seven stalls. The railroad freight house structure was attached to the hog house on the west gable end of the latter and perpendicular to that structure; the whole forming an L-shaped structure. The freight house portion is clad with horizontal drop siding and has a wood-shingled gabled roof and concrete foundation.

Chicken House and Boar House - Both were probably built c.1918-early 1920s when Fred Hassler was owner, with the boar house built to house his prize boars. Both of these buildings used a similar type of tile block and brick in their construction, a type different from that in the barn, hog house, and scale house.

The chicken house is a one-story, saltbox gabled structure with a wood-shingled roof, tile block wails, and a concrete foundation. Two small metal aerators line the roof ridge. The interior remains unchanged from when it was used to house chickens.

The boar house is a small front-gabled structure, with a wood-shingled roof, tile block walls, and a concrete foundation but having a dirt floor. It has vertical board siding with metal battens in the gable ends. The only opening is the door with a fixed three-pane transom above on the south gable end. This structure is less than one-story in height and is in a deteriorated condition, although it retains good integrity. The tile blocks in the south and west walls are in need of replacement and repair, with the entire structure in need of tuckpointing.

Corncrib - This structure was built in 1943 by Chris Pfoltner, thus post-dating the period of significance for this farmstead and considered non-contributing to the district. If desired, this structure could be removed without adversely impacting the integrity of the farmstead. It is a double crib with a central drive-through aisle. It has vertical board-and-batten siding in the gable ends, with horizontal slatted wood board siding on the walls. It has a concrete foundation and metal-clad front-gabled roof.

The Leet/Hassler Farmstead is currently unused but is being restored for use as an educational exhibit and farmstead museum. It is part of a larger Heritage Park plan that will initially encompass a 10.56 acre site, including the 4.4 acre farmstead district, as well as eventually including the Willow Creek Park property on the north side of 311th Street (Dunbar/ Jones Partnership 1997). The farmstead will remain intact and will be interpreted as a Poland China Hog farming operation and as the residence of the Leet and Hassler families in the early twentieth century. The yard area around the farm buildings will be left intact and will be enhanced to reflect historic plantings and activity areas, such as the clothes drying yard and the garden plots. There was once a grass tennis court to the west of the house during the Hassler family's occupation, and this feature may also be restored. A major feature of the proposed Heritage Park will be the erection of a German hausbam that was dismantled and shipped to Manning several years ago. The barn has yet to be rebuilt and is awaiting sufficient funding. The site of the hausbarn reconstruction will be a grassy opening west of the house at the far west side of the park property. This location is completely screened off from the view of the farmstead by a dense grove of trees and rows of evergreen trees. Thus, there is a definite physical and visual separation of the hausbarn from the historic farmstead. Further, the location of the hausbarn site was never utilized during the Leet and Hassler occupations for anything other than a small meadow. It is concluded, therefore, that the addition of the hausbarn to the west of the Leet/Hassler farmstead will not adversely affect the integrity or National Register eligibility of the farmstead district. In fact, the nominated boundaries of the district do not include the hausbarn site (see attached map). Other features of the proposed Heritage Park will include a series of woodland, wetland, and prairie trails, a parking lot, and potentially a German Immigrant Museum building; however, all of these proposed constructions will be outside of the nominated boundaries.