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Slurrystore Castle Is One For The Record Books
When Lloyd and Leonore Dickmann's used book business outgrew the storage space available on their Markesan, Wisconsin farm, they turned to the only unused structure that remained - a 20-year-old, 440,000-gal. Slurrystore.
The Slurrystore hadn't been used since the couple sold their dairy herd in 2000, nor had i
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Slurrystore Castle Is One For The Record Books BUILDINGS New Techniques 27-6-7 When Lloyd and Leonore Dickmann's used book business outgrew the storage space available on their Markesan, Wisconsin farm, they turned to the only unused structure that remained - a 20-year-old, 440,000-gal. Slurrystore.
The Slurrystore hadn't been used since the couple sold their dairy herd in 2000, nor had it been emptied, so when Lloyd told Leonore they could store books there, she figured he was joking.
He wasn't. With a little help from a neighbor, the manure was pumped from the 25-ft. high by 60-ft. dia. structure and then it was cleaned thoroughly.
Leonore says she knew he was serious when he asked her how she'd like the structure remodeled and, when she told him she thought it would look nice as a castle, he told her to talk to a builder.
"He didn't know what he was getting into," she quips. "But neither did I."
The builder put together a plan to remodel the Slurrystore into a castle, complete with an interior beamed ceiling, knotty pine paneling throughout, and a 10-ft. balcony all the way around the inside wall. A post in the center of the Slurrystore holds up the roof, and all the ceiling beams run to it, creating a series of wedges on the ceiling. Access to the balcony is via a wooden staircase.
Slurrystores don't have doors, so the builder also designed a proper castle entryway. An Amish woodworker was enlisted to construct it. Trim to match the castle theme was also added around the top of the structure. And finally, four windows were added to let in light.
The remodeling project began in September 2002 and was completed in late May, 2003. The Slurrystore castle now houses much of the Dickmann's used book inventory. It has also gotten a lot of attention. They still operate their main bookshop from a nearby steel building, but when people come to look at books, they're drawn into the castle.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Leonore and Lloyd Dickmann, W1778 County Hwy. K, Markesan, Wis. 53946 (ph 920 398-3375).
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