Fort Sumter Rock shifting

Off T25 in rural Allison north of Aplington on the Ulfers Elk Ranch, there’s a rock rich with Butler County history. It has a simple message seen from the road: Fort Sumter 1865.
     In recent years, though, with the effects of weather and vibration from semis and heavy farm equipment, this local landmark has shifted. Milt and Marilyn Ulfers are looking for a professional eye to volunteer to evaluate the rock, measure the shifting and monitor the large crack.
     “The widening of the crack has become quite substantial since we moved here in 1986,” Marilyn Ulfers said.
     The ‘devil’s wash basin’ on top of the rock has also grown. The Ulfers repaint the historic lettering whenever it starts to fade. And the U.S. flag is replaced whenever it frays by neighbors Don and Alda Frey—and sometimes by anonymous passersbys. 

 
Read more in the December 7 edition of the STAR.