About Us
The following essay titled "A Tribute to the Zearing Community" was written by Inez McBride in the 1987 book Zearing Community History. It captures the essence of Zearing and describes what makes our community a great place to call home.
A Tribute to the Zearing Community
The Zearing area has been home to many people. To some it was and is the "Alpha and Omega!" For our pioneer settlers, it must have seemed like the place to locate, develop the land and raise their families. Here they started and lived out their entire Lives, as attested by the markers in our cemetery. A number of their descendants live in the area today.
For others, it was a "stopover," moving in and out for varying time periods and for various reasons. For the farming community, moving day for farm workers was March 1st. This was when the farm laborers (hired men) loaded up possessions and family and moved to begin spring work for the new employer.
It was for some a "launching pad." Born here, schooled in either a one-room country school, town school, Lincoln Consolidated School or NESCO, they took flight to many other places for college degrees or jobs in other countries or states.
No matter the length of their stay here, each resident contributed something to the building of our community. Each had a part in helping to lay the foundation for succeeding generations.
Memories, whether good or bad, play a large part in everyone's life, and are to be cherished and reflected upon. Memories: fields of grain now occupying the land where once stood family homesteads, neighbors helping neighbors, family dinners, playmates with whom you could share your best secrets, the little creek in the pasture where you could watch tadpoles develop into frogs, Main Street on Wednesday nights where you could hear the local band play, Saturday nights at the open air theater to watch the wonderful silent movies, Sunday School picnics and sliding parties, church suppers with homemade ice cream cranked by hand, school friends and teachers, the meat market, drug store, bakery, blacksmith shop, the jail, the grocery store where your mother took the eggs and traded for staple foods, 4-H clubs, the commencement festivities for the graduates the alumni banquets and meeting former classmates and friends victories brought home to our community by our many school groups, centennial celebrations in our churches and our town of Zearing's 100 year centennial, and many, many other memories...
Here is where thoughts for the future first were born and decisions made that later became realities. Here was found what parents left was a safe environment in which to raise their children and instill in them the morals and values they need to face the future. It is our hope that although all life is change, we still can cling to the beliefs of our forefathers, our love of the land, our reverence for God, and our love and concern for our fellow man.
Success can mean different things to different people. We don't have impressive buildings large industries, or even (anymore) a railroad but we have what it takes to be a successful community: PEOPLE — people who have gone through disappointments, fires, storms, sickness and death, and still carry on; people who band together to help the person in need; people who when they see a real need for the good of the community pull together and make things happen; people who are friendly ambitious, determined and caring. This spells success in a community!
Let's keep the Zearing community a place that we shall always be proud to call our home!