HERMANN, Mo. — There is a lot of ground to cover at Hermann Farm – rolling hills, serene pathways, and Missouri River views.
It’s the kind of place where you don’t know what you are going to see next and the kind of place you probably never knew existed.
Cat Neville, formerly of Feast Magazine, is the curator of the farm. She and horse trainer Merrill McLaughlin are very passionate about this place.
McLaughlin gave Show Me St. Louis host Dana Dean a tour of the new barn for their Shire horses. The material for this new barn is quite old, made from three 19th century Pennsylvania barns.
This 12,000 sq. ft. barn is home to seven Shires, known as gentle giants. Shires are an endangered breed with only 3,000 left in the world. They also hold the world record for being the tallest horse. So, it’s special that you can actually see them in Hermann on a public tour.
Hermann Farm encompasses two properties. The front part is the Teubner-Husmann home, which was the vineyard, nursery and home of George Husman. He’s known as the father of Missouri wine. The back part of the farm is where the horses and distillery are located. It’s also where the Rasche family lived in the mid to late 1800s and had a still on sight, which is the inspiration for the Black Shire Distillery. It’s 4-years-old and now at the point where they can experiment with some small batch spirits.
In-depth tours of Hermann Farm are offered Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The tours are two hours long.
So, who is responsible for connecting the historic parts with more modern portions of the property? That would be Jim and Mary Dierberg who fell in love with Hermann in 1971 and have been investing in properties there ever since.
Hermann Farm is located at 526 East First Street in Hermann, Missouri. To book a tour, visit hermannfarm.org.