In the spring of 1896, Levi decided to build a house on his farm. He had learned carpentry from his uncle in Overisel. Before going to the Business Institute he had built several houses in the Overisel and Hamilton areas, including one for his parents. He stock-piled considerable material for the new home which he located off Baseline Road. The house still stands in good condition and remains much of the same as it was built. Some remodeling of the house in 1977, included the attachment of a 2-car garage and the addition of indoor plumbing was done by the current owner, Earl Kropscott, son of Levi. During the remodeling project, the workers noted the excellent quality of the original workmanship, which included "full-scale" lumber and "cut" nails.

On May 28, 1896, Levi married Anna Amanda Richardson in Overisel. After the wedding, they loaded their belongings into a farm wagon drawn by two draft horses. On the way, they stopped in Grand Rapids at Berkey and Gay Furniture Company and purchased a table, chairs, and bed. It took two days to reach the farm and settle in the partially completed house. They planted corn and oats on the rich farmland which produced good crops. Later In 1896, they finished building the house.

The next year, a Canadian Shipyard advertised for elm chip timbers 100-ft long and squared 12" x 12". Levi contracted to supply 6 timbers from elm trees growing in his woods. When the Canadian woodsmen came to hew the timbers, Levi made a deal: 6 timbers would be supplied at no charge if the woodsmen would hew out the timbers needed for his new barn.

Fruit trees do well in the Fremont area. A 6-acre peach orchard was planted but in the 4^th year a severe winter killed the trees. Apples proved to be a better choice. An 8-acre orchard near the house supplied Hubbardsons, Wagners, Spies, Greenings into the 1930’s. I remember picking 100 bushels in one day.

The excellent stand of sugar maple on the farm, provided a good sugar bush which yielded maple syrup and maple sugar for home as well as sales. Indians had made maple syrup in the woods before the white settlers came to the area. When I was a young boy, my father showed me the scars on maple trees that had been tapped by Indians. They used axes and knives to gash the trees and bark funnels to convey the sap into the containers. Iron kettles were used to boil down the sap. The strong water spring in the woods was convenient for the Indians who camped in the woods in early spring. Maple syrup along with animals furs were items of exchange with White Traders. When I was a boy, I picked up several arrows and grinding stones on the farm but none remain today. My father started making maple syrup using wooden spiles and wooden buckets. Later he changed to metal spiles and buckets. About 150 still remain in the hen0coop building.

My father cleared about 10 acres for extra farming. The last 5 acres was when I was about 10 or 12 years old. He taught me how to scale logs, fell trees, and plow a straight furrow with a horse-drawn plow.

A church located on the south-east corner of the farm was dedicated in 1909 as a Methodist Episcopal church. At the time of it’s dedication, it was debt-free. It was well attended and was an "outer appointment" for pastors first from Hesperia and then from the Fremont area. The church also served as a community gathering place for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, weddings and funerals. In 1939, it merged with the United Methodist Church and continued until 1965. By then, the farms had gotten larger and the community population had gotten less. Also, many people preferred to drive to church services in Fremont or Hesperia. In the mid 70’s, the church building was torn down. A Monument marking the church was made from the front door lintel and stands today on a part of the original church wall.