This is a story of how it all happened way back on May 10, 1928. A rural farm setting in Greene Co. Iowa. At a very early age I was pressed into duty and was expected to help my mother in the kitchen. Her health was bad and I learned a lot of kitchen things in this early period of my life. One of these duties was to use that old Dazey Churn to make the family butter that was used on our family kitchen table. I really did not like this duty very well but is was important to the family and when the butter was done the Butter Milk tasted very good.

As years rolled on I continued to live on a farm with my folks and my younger sister. After finishing high school, then came a year of college before the Korean War invited me to Fort Hood Texas. With this duty done an opportunity opened to become a State Trooper for the State of Iowa. My first marriage ended after fatal complications in childbirth, leaving me with a 2 year old son. Later my life was rewarded with my present wife. Two daughters came along, and the 5 of us enjoyed living in Northern Iowa. After 29 years in this fascinating State Patrol work retirement came around. While living in Mason City Iowa area one of our good friends that resided on a nearby farm, acquainted us with their interest in Antiques. Before long this Antique world started to grow on us and my first Butter Churn arrived in our home. This was a 2 Gallon Red Wing stoneware churn that was very nice, and it still has a prominate location in our family room.

We moved back to the home of my youth, after both of my parents became residents in a nursing home. We soon became interested in estate sales. Soon a churn was added to our home that was just like the churn that I made the family butter on those many years before. Golly it was nice, it was a Dazey 4 Qt with the sloped shoulders and the pat. date on the glass jar. It was now growing inside me and before long we had acquired some 50 churns. All kinds were given equal interest, but those glass Dazey types remained of top interest. I never will forget the feeling when I found a purchased my first Dazey 1 Quart Churn. As all antique dealers seem to get started, the house became a little cluttered with our collections and something had to be done. The natural relief for this condition was to become a dealer, get your sales permit and find a place to show your wares. The Granary Mall in Walnut Iowa was chosen, and Churn Castle Antiques was born. This location is a hot bed of some 10 antique malls, with other small business stores also located there. The location of Walnut IA is some 55 miles east of Omaha NE on Interstate 80. Antique City drive looms out on the big green interstate sign that directs you to this interesting town.

Our collection of Butter Churns grew and so did the sales. We travel a lot these days. Visiting Stone Mountain GA, to visit relatives in late winter and traveling across to Texas happens fairly often. Our son now lives in Helena MT that we find our way to each year. Antique places along the way have became our familiar haunts. We have some 30 friends that are strongly interested in Butter Churns. We communicate fairly often and keep in touch as to prices and what new has been discovered about some churn company or other interesting facts that seem to pop up every so often. Our collection of documentation has grown and we hope that this Home Page will help shed some light to others that find and interest in Butter Churn collecting. Good quality churns have increased in value from something like $25.00 each way back in the early 1980's to something like just under $200.00 for the same quality 4 Qt Dazey that is in perfect shape. We have purchased nearly 300 churns over these years. We have a good inventory on hand most of the time but continue to sell through our Mall location as well to others that have came across our name and location. My little Churn Castle Antiques business cards that are produced on my home computer have spread across the entire country. From this we find many friends and have many excellent conversations on this favorite Hobby and business. It has been a long ways from my State Patrol duties to being a fancier of Butter Churns but my wife, Donna, and I enjoy it very much. So Churn Castle Antiques continues to live on. We hope you might have some interest in churns or you would not have read this far. We wish you luck and hope that if we might be able to help you, give us call or use our email address. Thanks for the visit to our little spot on the Internet.