courtesy photo The Campbell Seed House, circa 1919, displays its wares.

by Stephanie Croston

    A piece of history in downtown Seward is slowly disappearing.
     The old Campbell's Seed House, located across the street east of the Seward Memorial Library, is being torn down. The business was started in 1909 by Henry Campbell, grandfather of Walter "Duff" Campbell of Seward.
     Henry Campbell retired in 1939, and his sons Walter "Duff" and Charlie took over the seed business. Charlie's son Paul and grandsons Paul "Butch" and Mike inherited the business when Charlie retired.
     The original business was located where Fox Run Apartments and O'Dell Storage are today. It moved to the downtown building when Henry Campbell purchased the building from a Mr. Squires who ran a feed business, according to On the Bend of a River by Jane Graff.
     "They originally sold coal and seeds of all kinds," Duff Campbell said.
     The Campbells built the present-day Flower Mill as a place to clean seeds. According to Graff's book, the business also distributed anhydrous ammonia, fertilizer, herbicides and insecticides.
     Although Campbell was never an employee of the seed house, he spent a lot of time there during his youth.
     "I walk in and the smell brings back memories," he said.
     Campbell's Seed House closed in the mid-1990s, Duff Campbell said, adding that the business never left the family. He still has the original blueprints, drawn by Hughes Brothers. The building was the last original wooden structure in downtown Seward, he said.
     He considered moving the building, but the cost prohibited it. He kept the letters spelling Campbell's Seed House from the side and would like to display them eventually.
     The Campbell family was always civic minded, Campbell said. Henry served on the Seward City Council from 1920 to 1921 and 1922 to 1924 and was mayor from 1932 to 1934. He was also part of the volunteer fire department, Campbell said.
     When his father, Walter, was part of the business, he would take Duff around the downtown. In addition, his mother worked downtown, so Duff got to know all the business owners.
     Campbell currently owns and operates ServiceMaster and The Oreck Store in Seward. His sons, James and Brian, are also in business. James manages Gene Steffy Auto and runs an auto-related Internet business called Campbell's Speed House, Inc. Brian owns Campbell Electric in Lincoln.
     As far as the future of the property, it has been sold to Hackbart Chiropractic Center of Milford, and Dr. Daryl Hackbart of Seward will open a new office there.