Lars and Ingre Thorsander from Östra Torsås Parish (now Ingelstad) Småland, Sweden emigrated in the summer of 1869 with four children. It was a time of famine and hardship in Sweden, and the family decided to travel to “AMERIKA” for a new life in Minnesota. They purchased the land from the government and built their first home of logs in the traditional post and beam construction. Lars and Ingre had three more children born in this Shafer home.
In the summer of 1938, the Thorsander family was forced to sell the farm after the barn tragically burned, killing all livestock. Raymond and Edith Anderson purchased the property and moved in with their three children, Lois, Jerry, and DiAnne. Lois was only 10 years old at the time.
Lois married Kenneth (Budd) Barott in 1948 and the two began their family. In 1965, they purchased the farmstead from Lois’s parents to raise their six children. In 1982, Lois and Budd established The Country Bed & Breakfast. It is one of the first five Bed and Breakfasts under the Historic B&B Association of Minnesota. Lois and Budd enjoyed welcoming guests from all over the world into their home. After Budd passed away in 1999, Sally Barott, daughter of Lois and Budd, moved in to help her mother continue to operate the Bed and Breakfast. Lois passed away in 2013 and Sally continued to operate the Bed and Breakfast until her passing in 2023 from breast cancer.
Sally’s hope was that the Bed and Breakfast would continue after her passing. In May 2023, Kaye (Barott) Weise welcomed her first guests to the Bed and Breakfast. Kaye is the youngest daughter of the Lois and Budd Barott. She looks forward to welcoming you to her childhood home and sharing with you her memories.