Lotzgesell Barn History
If you’ve visited Lavender Connection farm, chances are you’ve stepped inside our historic Lotzgesell Dairy Barn (where our store is located) without even realizing how much history is behind it! If you’re curious about the why, when, and how of our barn, you’ve come to the right place.
Our parcel is just a small portion of the original Lotzgesell homestead, but the land has escaped extensive development and has been farmed almost continuously since it was originally settled by the Lotzgesells in 1864. This means the barn is one of the oldest still standing in the Dungeness Valley, and an incredibly important piece of the Lotzgesell homestead’s history. In addition, there are no other historic landmarks or buildings yet registered on the original Lotzgesell homestead, which makes our barn possibly the last remaining structure connected to the pioneer Lotzgesell family.
Dairying in the Dungeness Valley
The Sequim-Dungeness Valley has a long, rich agricultural history. Dairying became prolific in the area throughout the first half of the 1900s, and it was once one of the state’s major dairy regions. At the industry’s peak, about 9,000 cows were pastured within a five-mile radius of Sequim, according to “Dungeness: The Lure of the River,” and almost every farm had at least one dairy cow. Because of this, dairy barns defined the character of this region of Washington.
Unfortunately, barn fires, severe storms, encroaching development, and the inevitable effects of time have destroyed the majority of these historic barns.
Our dairy barn, built in approximately 1913, is now one of the oldest barns still standing in the former New Dungeness area of Sequim. The barn shape is a unique combination of saltbox gable (which is uncommon in this region), with a gable-on-hip shed on the south side. Historically, the barn was primarily used for milking the dairy cows on the Lotzgesell dairy farm, of which our parcel is a portion. The barn is an incredibly important piece of the Lotzgesell homestead farm history.
The Lotzgesell Pioneer Family
In 1859, George Henry Lotzgesell was one of the first pioneers to establish a homestead in the Dungeness Valley, (with “a group of Indians” according to the Port Angeles Daily news), of which our farm is a five acre portion. The Lotzgesell family owned the property for decades, and after clearing the land of timber, eventually began dairy and cattle farming. In addition to farming, George Henry Lotzgesell was a prominent member of the Dungeness and Sequim communities, serving as justice of the peace and later, county commissioner.
After George’s death his sons, George Jr. and Frank, inherited the homestead – with Cays Road being the dividing line between their two properties. In 1913, both sons built dairy barns within a few miles of each other, and became successful dairy farmers in their own rights. George Lotzgesell Jr’s dairy barn is also still standing off Lotzgesell Road, operating continuously as a dairy farm as recently as the 1990s.
A Changing Landscape
In 1920, Frank Lotzgesell sold a 40+ acre parcel of the original homestead to his daughter Bessie and her husband Frank Knopf, of which our farm is a portion. The Knopfs then sold the parcel in 1924 to Emerson Boone and Violet Cameron, who farmed on the land until they sold it in 1942.
Several farmers have owned the property over the years, and it eventually was subdivided into smaller parcels, separating our historic barn from the original farmhouse, which is currently owned by our neighbor to the north.
From Dairy to Lavender
Our current parcel was eventually purchased by a man named John Lavender in 1970, who applied for the water rights and used the barn to store hay. We hope he would be delighted to know there is now a lavender farm on his property.
After John Lavender, the property was divided into two short-platted parcels in 1997 and changed hands a few more times until we purchased it in 2004, reuniting the historic barn parcel with the farmland now planted in lavender.
A Barn That Still Stands
Our barn is a testament to the hardworking people of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley and the dairy farms that helped define this region. Now an integral part of our working lavender farm, it remains a bridge between old and new Sequim—a symbol of rural farmland carried forward through lavender farming and agritourism.
It’s probably pretty clear by now that we *love* our barn, and it continues to be a favorite stop for visitors, including painters, photographers, and barn enthusiasts from across the region. It’s even featured on the wall of a local restaurant as an emblem of Sequim’s lavender industry.
This spring we decided to apply for a Heritage Barn Grant from the State of Washington to do the work necessary to keep the barn from collapsing. The application process led us to dig more deeply into the history of the barn, which we are now able to share with you. We are deeply grateful for the support of the Sequim Museum, Clallam County Historical Society, and the Sequim and Port Angeles branches of the North Olympic Library System. Their assistance was instrumental in our being awarded the grant!
You can read more about the preservation project here!
Barn Preservation Project
Barn Preservation Project Update
If you have any additional information about the Lotzgesell family or property, or historic photos of the barn you would like to share, please contact us. We’d love to hear from you!