About Old Lard's Barn Bed and Breakfast
Ray and Leona at the Barn
Ray and Leona out back enjoying some skiing.
Call or email Leona and book your rooms 315-599-8836 or email her now
Old Lard’s Barn Bed and Breakfast was started in 1991 by Alice C. Clemens, who operated it mainly to give her company in the long Tug Hill winters. It continues today out of the desire to keep the Clemens home in the family for their use and enjoyment.The Bed and Breakfast gets its name from Old Lard Clemens, Leona’s grandfather who built the grand old barn in 1932. The B&B has yet to cover the cost of taxes and upkeep even with the motel type efficiency units built in 2003.
The house has been in the family at different times since it was built about 1850 and the barn is home to Family Reunions for the Clemens and Rowell families each year. Leona and her children Pete and Jackie operate the B&B located in Osceola, New York; before them Jiggs and Alice Clemens lived there they raised 5 children: Sharon, Leona, John, Diana and Alice. The Leona and her husband Ray took over the property in 1999. Although the children are spread out, every year most of the family celebrates Christmas Eve at the farm creating cherished memories for future generations.
We call it the farm, but it has not been an operating farm since 1956. Old Lard Clemens and his wife, Esther raised their six children here as well in the twenties, thirties and forties. He was a logger and quite a storyteller and quite a character. They worked in logging camps together (Esther cooked and in fact, Jiggs was born in a logging camp) and must have started the farm in the thirties. Jiggs worked in the woods with his father for many years and took over the farm in 1948.
