Discover Bath Barns: LaSalle Barn at Shade Tree Farm

by Laura Bednar

Bath Township’s Heritage Corridors of Bath Committee manages one of 27 designated scenic byways in Ohio. The Heritage Corridors of Bath byway, established in 2001, covers 39 miles of road within the township and is designed to tell the story of Ohio’s Western Reserve from the Bath Township perspective: Preserve the rural heritage and maintain the bucolic landscapes for all to enjoy.

When traveling the byway, more than 30 barns are visible, many more than 100 years old and several listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The history and heritage of these barns, like many in Ohio, are fading from memory.

Bath Township trustees decided to address this problem and in 2023 created a committee, Discover Bath Barns, as a means to preserve and enhance the heritage represented by these barns. This group, part of the larger Heritage Corridors of Bath Committee, has partnered with the Bath Country Journal to publish a series of articles about some of the barns along the byway.

The wooden pole barn at Shade Tree Farm on Shade Road is around 60 years old, and once accommodated dozens of horses imported by Frank and Margaret LaSalle.

The LaSalle family took over the farm in 1969. The previous owner had no interest in horses, but allowed neighborhood children to keep their horses in the small barn on the property. Current farm owner, Betsy Rebar-Sell, said the barn originally had between six and eight stalls, which grew to 25 stalls after the LaSalles renovated the barn.

Dave Wyatt, who was married to the LaSalles’ daughter, Connie, said the LaSalles tried to find their niche in horses, and in the early 1970s, started a connection with Poland to import Polish Trakehner horses. The first three horses they imported came through Canada.

“The LaSalles were instrumental in establishing the Polish Trakehner breed in the United States,” said Wyatt. The couple founded the North American Trakehner Association to promote the Polish Trakehner sport horse, and over a 10-year period, imported around 250 horses. 

The original stalls are still part of the barn, which now has 12 total stalls and six horses. Photo by Laura Bednar

Rebar-Sell said there were only two or three people in the country who could import Trakehner horses at the time. Wyatt recalled helping build stalls and fencing in anticipation of new horses coming to the barn.

Next to the barn is another unique structure: a horse arena, built around 1973 to showcase the Trakehner horses for sale. Dave and Connie Wyatt’s daughter, Ariel, is the barn manager at the farm and said most arenas are made of metal, but this wood arena was built with a European influence and has a tall, arched ceiling. 

The barn was used for breeding, training and boarding horses and some of the original stalls are still part of the barn. Rebar-Sell said when she took over the farm in 1990, she changed the dirt floor in the great hall area in the front of the barn to cement. This was the former breeding area. She also added stone pavers along the front of the horse stalls and windows along the hallway.

The back portion of the barn, where the outdoor shed stalls stood, was closed off to make the barn more private. Ariel Wyatt said Rebar-Sell reduced the number of stalls to 12, which allowed for larger stalls and more personalized horse care. Six horses currently reside in the barn and are part of Shade Tree’s training program.

Rebar-Sell has resided the barn and replaced the asphalt shingle roof, also adding golden-style woodwork on some of the interior stall doors and trim. Ariel Wyatt said Rebar-Sell has “kept up this beautiful structure.” She added that the barn is not heated, but is well insulated, keeping it warm in the winter. 

When Rebar-Sell took over the property, she said it was in a declined state after Trakehner horses fell out of favor. She said she originally did not want to own a farm but had trained with the same equestrian trainer as Connie Wyatt, who was active in the Bath Pony Club and trained in dressage. Dave Wyatt said his wife was the main rider for her parents’ operation and helped promote the Trakehner breed with her successes.Rebar-Sell knew Connie Wyatt when she moved back to Ohio, and when she heard the LaSalles were selling the farm she decided to buy it. “It was pretty, I liked the topography, it was in a good school district and my two horses were already boarded there,” she said. “It allowed me to make the farm what I wanted for the horses.”

Photo caption: The barn at Shade Tree Farm was once used to board and breed Polish Trekehner horses. Former barn owners Frank and Margaret LaSalle started the North American Trakehner Association. Photo by Laura Bednar.