Severe storm levels Batavia farm dating back to 1860s

BATAVIA, Ill. - The historic Reckinger Farm in Batavia, which dates back to the 1860s, was decimated and a barn was destroyed by severe storms that barreled through Tuesday night.

Reckinger Farm has been in the family for six generations with the recently leveled barn playing a pivotal role in their dairy operations. 

Dan Reckinger told FOX 32 he was at a home less than a mile away when the storms rolled through Tuesday night.

"It just seemed like a normal storm that would come out here," Reckinger said. "The wind and everything. It gets gusty out here at times. I didn't think anything else of it until I drove down here and saw everything." 

Reckinger said although the barn took the brunt of the damage, several of their other buildings were impacted with walls being blown off and foundations shifting.

No livestock were in the barn during the time of the collapse. Reckinger said stray cats sometimes sleep in the barn but they were all accounted for Wednesday morning.

Reckinger said he has had to sift through the debris, looking for old family valuables that date back generations. He said he hopes to rebuild the destroyed barn.

"I was a little surprised to see this barn gone because, like I said, we've been through quite a few storms over the years, and never had a problem with the roof even blowing off of it," Reckinger said. "This is the first time this we've had this kind of damage here."