Succulent smoked baby back-ribs, tender, juicy chicken, homemade potato salad, baked beans... the menu makes your mouth water and the food is only one course in the homestyle family atmosphere at Burchell's White Hill Farmhouse Inn. The Inn is the opus of Bob and Linda Ard.
Linda's great-grandparents homesteaded in Kearney County. In 1915 her grandfather purchased a farm about 5 miles West of his parents' homestead.
Her father was born in the 4-room house on this property and raised his family on land that is still in the family today. According to Linda, newspapers they found in the wall show the original house in about 1886, probably by Sarah White. Over the years the house has been expanded and about 6 years ago, when Linda and husband, Bob Ard, were contemplating their retirement from over 30 years of teaching, the house inspired them. Although it had been used as a rental property for over twenty years, Linda still had fond memories of it. That fondness, combined with Bob's background as Chair of the Restaurant Management, Culinary Arts, and Travel & Tourism departments at Delmar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, inspired them to turn the house into a bed & breakfast.
Linda says the more they "put the paper & pencil together," though, the more it looked like they would be 117 before they could pay off the investment of turning the house, which needed a major infusion of funds, into the kind of house you wanted to live in. So they began looking for a way to make it a more profitable venture.
Last November Bob and Linda Ard actually opened the barn doors at her childhood home north of Minden and began serving family-style homemade meals.
This is no ordinary barn; the original barn has been thoroughly remodeled, with all of it¹s siding removed and replaced, and a new red concrete floor put down. The Ards preserved and recycled as much of the original materials as possible. The original barn doors have been transformed into the business sign on an outside wall of the barn. A small pair of barn windows is inset in the wall between the dining area and the rear of the barn that serves as a conference area or dance room.
When Bob and Linda asked her mother if they could display her quilts in the barn, her mother answered, "Oh, I don't think so." After seeing the reborn barn though, she agreed. Five of Linda's mother's quilts are now hung with loving pride in the barn's interior. The Ards are members of Grow Nebraska, so many fine Nebraska made and prairie-themed items are available for browsing or purchase at the restaurant.
This month the Ards put the finishing touches on remodeling the house to complete their initial idea of a prairie bed and breakfast. The original "big porch" is still visible inside the front entrance. Each bedroom is named for the sibling who once occupied the room and the dwelling has been remodeled and historically decorated. Linda says all the rooms measure 12 feet by 18 feet and have individual heating and air available. One room is wheelchair compatible.
The Ards welcome businesses or individuals who would like a quiet atmosphere for meetings, weddings, or other gatherings. The home and restaurant have wireless Internet access, and the conference room in the restaurant is equipped with a presentation screen, sound & light system, and a portable wait station that can be moved wherever it is convenient.
Burchell's White Hill Farmhouse Inn is located at 1578 North 30th Road: five miles North of Minden on Highway 10, two miles west on Q Road, and one-quarter mile South on 30th. The restaurant is open from 5-9 PM on Thursdays and Fridays, and Sundays from 11AM to 9 PM. Saturdays they open by reservation only, to allow them to accommodate large groups, including wedding parties.
After a night at the Inn and a fine homemade meal, visitors should accept the calorie-free last course, which includes a walk on the prairie over a path that leads past displays of old farm equipment into the native prairie grasses, where a person may feel like he or she is the only person in the world.
Caption: Linda Ard slides back the sign, revealing the Burchell's White Hill Farmhouse Inn near Minden is open for business.
-photo by Fran Maunder
Caption1: The dining area at Burchell's offers a cozy atmosphere.
-photo by Fran Maunder
Caption2: An antique Case tractor displayed at Burchell's White Hill Farmhouse Inn.
-photo by Fran Maunder
