This time last summer, we said goodbye to the Blue Barn. It was no longer operational as a retreat and needed restoration throughout the property.
The Blue Barn Christian Retreat began with a vision after my grandparents, George and Gerry Teskey, retired from the airlines and saddle businesses. My grandfather was a captain for Braniff for nearly 35 years, and on the side, ran a saddle business in his Dallas garage. One day in 1979, he and my grandmother drove 1 1/2 hours east from Dallas to the tiny town of Alba, Texas, to look at an old house and a piece of pasture land. They bought the big, old (and haunted) house without even going inside. It was known around town as The Alba House. When they got to the piece of pasture land and got out of the car, my grandfather told my grandmother to bring her Bible. She did, and as she stood at the highest point on the property, she flipped open her Bible and began to read out loud from the first page that opened…“The water will rise from the north…” My grandfather said, “What did you say?” She repeated herself. And he said, “That’s exactly what’s supposed to happen here.” Nearby Lake Fork would one day fill a portion of that land from the north. And with that, it was sold. My grandparents moved their horses from Dallas and built a barn and painted it blue. My grandmother wanted a blue barn like the barns she had seen in Germany. My grandfather built four large fishing piers on dry land with no water in sight. The locals called him Noah. Sure enough, the water rose to the exact markers the Corps of Engineers laid out, and the piers were perfectly placed. They planted over 100 pine trees, crepe myrtles, rose bushes, and an orchard of peaches, pears, plums, persimmons, and apples. And of course, vegetables. Bluebirds made their nests in handmade bluebird boxes, and martins did the same in their houses. It was lush with many varieties of flowers. It was The Garden of Eden. In its prime, there were six large bunk buildings, a pool, paddle boats, sand volleyball, and campfire pits. It became known as The Blue Barn Christian Retreat and could house 200 people. Over 40 years, thousands of lives were enriched and changed because of the Blue Barn, including mine. I spent summers picking peaches, lifeguarding, patrolling boats, making beds, scrubbing toilets, and much more. And every night, sat down to dinner with my grandparents and Wheel of Fortune.
Thank you, Blue Barn. Your legacy will live in the lives of the people you touched and their future generations.🩵