| Barney Farms: Gone But Not Forgotten |
| Written by Scott Cresko | ||||||
 Austrian immigrant Lesko Barney arrived at Ellis Island in 1883 with nothing more than a single wooden chest. With his two-week journey to the land of opportunity over, his travels continued westward until he finally settled in Edwardsville, Pa.After residing near the top of Main Street for about 15 years, Lesko moved down the hill to Main Street in Kingston. He married a fine young woman by the name of Eva Pelak and eventually raised a large family of seven boys and five girls. In 1905, Lesko purchased his first farm, which consisted of 14 acres on the south side of Northampton Street in Edwardsville. He eventually bought several more acres across the street in Kingston and decided to build a house before anything else. Soon thereafter, the property became the center of farming operations, including several barns, two large storage coolers, four greenhouses and approximately 12 flower beds. In 1924, he expanded his farming operation to include 55 acres in Wilkes-Barre, followed by 200 acres in Plymouth in 1935. During its peak of operation, Barney Farms employed nearly 60 full-time workers and ran close to 30 trucks and tractors. All the sons helped with the farm except for Peter, who opened an automobile service station on Northampton Street and a Dodge dealership on Wyoming Avenue. Lesko was a rugged individual who soon became an authority on truck farming. He was generally accepted as a man of his word, thoroughly honest and conscientious. However, he was especially known for his charity. He was always ready to loan money on property, especially to people in need. He passionately believed that real estate was one of the greatest investments known to man, and he wanted to spread the wealth. Lesko Barney passed away in 1944 and the farm continued strong under the leadership of his remaining sons. Youngest son William Barney became the farm manager with the help of his brother, Andrew. In 1975, new technologies and competition became too much of a burden for the family-run business and Barney Farms ceased operations. The Wilkes-Barre farm was sold to the Redevelopment Authority shortly after the Flood and has since become a residential development. The Plymouth property was sold to a dairy farmer and still continues to this day. Green Valley Landscaping took over the Kingston parcel until 1986, and shortly thereafter, most of the farm structures were demolished. The land remained vacant until Tiffany Court was built in 1996, which then became New Seasons at Tiffany Court, an assisted living community, after a private sale in 1997. Even though the properties are no longer in the family, the original homestead and three of the original barns are still standing. William Barney still resides in Kingston and just celebrated his 101st birthday. He recently lost his wife Mary after 70 years of marriage. The rest is history. Bookmark with:
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