Yes, our museum focuses on Monroe Township history. However, some places transcend township boundaries. The Allen Turkey Farm, part of Van Buren Township, is one of those long-time area businesses. The Allen family has also been a long part of Alexandria’s history.
Ermal Allen and his son Eugene (Gene) first ran the Alexandria Garage in 1935. In 1938, they built the Sinclair Auto Service Station on the northwest corner of Broadway and Harrison. They ran that station until 1947.
The year 1951 was when they changed their lifestyle and moved into a new venture. They began the Allen Turkey Farm just southwest of Summitville (around 1400 North and 350 East).
Both father and son ran this turkey farm until Ermal’s unexpected death in July 1961 due to a heart attack. After his father’s sudden passing, Gene, his wife Berniece, and his family managed the farm.
In an August 1961 article, the Allen farm was part of a three-farm portion of the Chamber of Commerce city-farm tour. For this 1961 tour, other farms included in the tour included Jack Walker’s egg farm and Duane Knotts’ pig farm.
The article explained how the Allen farm “was unique in that it handles all production from egg to the dining table.” The farm maintained a hatchery, a large pole barn for young poults, and the outside range for larger birds. After raising the birds, the farm managed the processing, freezing, and inspection of the turkeys until ready for purchase or shipping.
Many residents throughout Madison county can recall memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas meals that included a turkey from this local farm. Locals recall visiting the farm prior to the holidays to select the right turkey for their family meal. Other families purchased these farm-raised birds from the local grocery stores such as Cox’s and Thriftway.
Throughout the 1960s, many boy and girl scout troops visited this turkey farm. Scouts learned about how the farm raised chicks, nurtured and fed the birds as they grew, and then processed and inspected them for families to purchase for dining.
In her November 1973 Alexandria Times-Tribune column Marilyn’s Notebook, Marilyn Moore shared a recipe that Shirley Moore suggested to her. The instructions included “coating it with margarine and salt, stuffing it into a brown grocery sack, stapling the end closed (the sack, that is), and roasting it at 325 degrees for the whole morning.” (We wonder if Marilyn or anyone else tried this recipe!)
Gene shared in a November 1980 article of the Times-Tribune that his farm would process “upwards of 10,000 birds before the season was over.” That article noted the farm could process over 100 birds per hour during peak season.
His obituary noted that Gene ran this farm until 1985. Gene and his son Mike then co-managed Ida’s Restaurant (the former White Spot on the northwest corner of State Roads 9 and 28) until 1991. Gene passed away January 6, 1997. His wife Berniece passed away February 4, 2019.