RANDALL – A farm that has been owned by someone in the same family for 158 years, by the slimest of chances, appears likely to remain in the family for years to come.

Darrel Henderson, who owns the acreage of his family’s Heritage Farm, the rest owned by his brothers Dallas and David Henderson, said his family was looking to buy a new piece of farmland and decided upon this particular piece.

After the farm was purchased, Henderson said he researched the abstracts and discovered the three Hendersons are descendants of the original homesteaders, and that the farm had been owned by members of the family the entire time.

So it was by chance they saved their family farm, coming close to being sold to someone else.

In fact, Henderson said, they almost purchased a different parcel land. The family feels fortunate, he said, to keep the legacy of the Henderson family going on that farm.

“I am a lot more proud of the farm now that we know that information,” said Henderson. “There is a lot of history here, and we didn’t even know it.”

The Hendersons’ home site was once a cow pasture. He said he can remember the trail where the cattle took to the river. Most of the original homestead is gone. However, an 1889 house still stands, but has been sold.

In 1855, twin brothers Lars and Torkel Henderson arrived in Iowa from Norway looking for land and first came to an area then known as Fairview which is now Story City.

In 1856, Lars Henderson, Darrel’s great-great-grandfather, purchased 2,000 acres at $1.25 an acre.

Henderson thinks the 200 acres he and his brothers own are the only original portion of Lars Henderson’s purchase that’s left.

Lars Henderson had 12 children and split all 2,000 acres among them.

Although the family’s Heritage Farm is a new purchase to the fifth generation of Hendersons, it is believed the third generation was most responsible for keeping the farm together.

That person was Orvel Henderson, Lars’ grandchild, and grandfather to Darrel, Dallas and David Henderson.

Orvel Henderson was just 7 when his father died, but he helped to farm the land. Eventually he was joined by his son, Melbourne, and his sons accounting for the legacy of the Henderson Heritage Farm.

Henderson said he found documents naming Lars Henderson as the county’s first postmaster.

According to that information, Lars created the first rural mail delivery in Iowa.

Although he farmed full time, the postal system was a big part of his life.

When the railroad was built, he moved the post office from his home into the town of Randall.

According to Darrell Henderson, the town of Randall is built on what was once Lars Henderson’s property.

Many of its businesses were managed by Hendersons, since all of them were not farmers.

Henderson said a part of the pasture was called “Henderson Park,” and every Sunday or so the families would gather. That predated the founding of Randall, he said.

Henderson said he enjoys history and has acquired a lot of his family’s antiques over the years including a saddle from the 1800s, his grandfather’s sleigh and a large collection of tools and other family mementos.