Historic Hartland Barn Gone, But Cherished Memories Remain After Recent Fire

Hartland lost a piece of its deep agricultural heritage and Helen Bugis and her family lost a touchstone for decades of memories when off of Clyde Road last week.

"It went like a matchbox," said Bugis, 81, who lives with her husband Tony Sr. in the farm house next door and was watching Dancing With the Stars on TV the night it happened.

"We've never had a fire before. It was shocking. … I'm not happy about it, but when you get to this age, you just ride the waves."

For Bugis, who grew up across the street on her father's farm and says her children like to joke with her that she didn't go very far, the barn has been there for as long as she can remember.

For years, the rectangular-shaped shed-style building was where her six children raised pet lambs, pigs and horses.

"It kept the kids occupied when they were small," she said. "It was neat. They had to take care of their own."

More recently she beamed with pride when people would stop by to have their picture taken beside the barn after it was featured in the Hartland Area Historical Society Heritage Barn Series on a coffee mug about five years ago. She has even has one of her own.

The images on the mugs were taken by the Ranger's 4-H Club as part of a multi-year effort to document Hartland's historic barns that began in 1999.

"It's a shame to see any of the barns go down around here now," said Tom Parshall, president of the historical society, who estimated there are about 20-30 such barns that were built around 1900.

It's unclear how old the Bugis barn was, according to the family, the historical society and the 4-H Club.

Bugis said her father, Tom Jozwik, originally moved to the area to farm in 1921. Today, two of Bugis' sons farm the land on both sides of Clyde Road, including corn, soybeans and wheat, she said.

"It's sad to see these old barns disappear," Bugis said. "There's something about 'em. When you get inside and you see how they were put together. … (Ours) meant a lot to me."

The March 28 blaze on the eastern edge of Hartland Township near Tipsico Lake Road brought fire departments from across Livingston County to put it out. Bugis' son, Ed, spent the next day knocking down the burned out shell. She said the barn, which was storing straw and some farming equipment, likely won't be rebuilt.

"I would never build one this close to the road," she said. "Someone probably set it on fire. It's scary."

Hartland-Deerfield Fire Chief Adam Carroll said the exact cause of the fire may never be determined, but they've ruled out most accidental causes.

"There was no electricity in the barn," Carroll said. "The usual suspects aren't there."

But Carroll said there doesn't appear any connection to other recent barn fires including one in neighboring Oceola Township a couple of weeks ago or . Invesitgators identified two to three probable accidental causes before the investigation was turned over to an insurance company.

On the Bugis Farm, the morning after the fire was tough on her and her husband, Bugis said, although the incident did lead the couple to share warm recollections of the barn — something that's been difficult since he's had trouble with his memory due to illness.

"We reminisced this morning," she said. "It's going to hard to get used to it not being there."