Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Tekoa Brotherton building
More history
The names of former workers at the Brotherton Seed Co. building in Tekoa are exposed as the tear-down work continues this fall.
Progress continues on demolition of the former Brotherton Seed Co. building in Tekoa.
Larry Heaton a year ago purchased the building from Brotherton Seed of Moses Lake and hired Butch Drott of Tensed last fall to take down the 10,000 square foot, three-story building at the west edge of downtown.
“We’re gaining on it,” said Heaton. “It’s probably 85 percent done.”
With an original goal to finish by Sept. 1, Heaton estimates it may take another month.
“It’s kind of a back-burner project,” he said.
The early 1900s building was used until 2005. While the main building is taken out, with its myriad of wood beams salvaged, two flat houses at each side will remain. The space will be used for Stateline Processors, of which Larry is a co-owner.
Brotherton Seed Co. quit using the location because of shifts in where peas are grown. The Tekoa operation serviced consumer peas while most peas grown now in Whitman County are feed peas.
The Brotherton building – noted in Tekoa by its large black lettering – was mostly cleaned out at the time that Heaton bought it.
Decades ago, peas would arrive at the building by wagon in the early morning to be cleaned while the wagon drivers waited, often eating breakfast and sleeping at the old Tekoa Hotel.
The drivers would pick up the cleaned peas for their return trip that afternoon.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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