The old Leesburg Mill is now the home of Hoplore.

Text And Photos
By Loren Shaum
Guest Columnist

LEESBURG — Leesburg was the first town in the county according to the Kosciusko County Historical Society. Levi Lee platted the town in 1835, and from 1836 to 1854, Leesburg was the government and commercial center of the county. Folks came from afar to buy corn and needed goods from prosperous merchants. But things changed when the railroad came through Warsaw in 1854.

Today, Leesburg has a population of less than 600, and the downtown is registered as a National Historic District. Van Buren is the main drag and famous for its brick surface. Along Van Buren is The Keg bar — one of the better dives in the county.

Then there is Hoplore Brewing across the railroad tracks in the old mill, which concocts some mighty fine brews.

Out on SR 15 are some new places that draw folks from afar.

Steuby’s

The new owners of the former Stacey’s Restaurant totally redid the building and converted it into a modern look with nostalgic signage cleverly placed throughout the interior.

Chef Anthony Ford heads the kitchen, and with over 30-years’ experience, he has created an
extensive menu that will accommodate any palate. There are also weekend specials like bluegill,
ribs, grouper and prime rib.

Fittingly, with the owner’s having an insurance agency downtown, there are several items identified by insurance terms like “umbrella” pizza, “claims adjuster” (grilled chicken sandwich), and the “comprehensive” — a platter on the dinner menu.

One dinner item is parmesan-crusted walleye, which we’ll go back for, and with Maple Leaf Farm headquarters a couple blocks away, there are several duck items, including a duck burger.

Owen’s Fresh Meat Market

The Keg entrance is a famous landmark in downtown Leesburg.

Just down SR 15 in the former John Deere dealership building is a new option for local farm-to-table goods.

The Owens family have a hog and cattle farm near Argos and needed an outlet for their products. When this building came available, they pounced.

The grand opening was in March, and when we arrived, the place was very busy. Besides fresh meats, there are frozen items, shelves of canned and packaged items, Walnut Creek products, Crystal Cream products and baked goods. There’s also an area dedicated to beef jerky.

Looking ahead, the Owens’ want to create a year-round farmer’s market featuring goods from Kosciusko and Marshall county farms. They expect to have certification to do their own butchering by this fall. Besides beef and pork, the market expects to add lamb, goat, turkeys at Thanksgiving and possibly deer processing.

This is the only place I know that has bone morrow and oxtail freshly cut.

Up the road a bit is the Little New York restaurant where you can get a great breakfast.

Duck, Down & Above

In 1958, Don Wenzel purchased a poultry farm in Kosciusko County. His vision was that the country needed a source for farm grown duck. Maple Leaf Duck Farm was born and nearly 300,000 ducks were sold in the first year. Today the farm ships around 10 million to the world.

In 1963, Don’s son-in-law, Terry Tucker — a Purdue graduate — joined the company. When Don suddenly died in 1968, Terry took control of the company.

In 1976, the company started making duck products to sell including cooked ducks.

In 1981, they purchased a Wisconsin farm making them the largest duck producer in the world. Later, they would leverage their brand by using duck feathers for various bedding products. That was the start of their retail business for all things duck, and when they moved into their new headquarters in 2011, they opened Duck, Down & Above to sell duck products and more. It is a must-stop in Leesburg. Their duck is a healthier way to fry food. French fries fried in this fat are surreal.

Leesburg has much to offer and it might take more than a day to explore everything there, but it certainly has become a delightful destination.