Hollydazzle Historic Tour a Great Success

To the Franklin County Community,

The Old Stone House and Harriman Nielsen Historic Farm would like to take this moment to thank the many supporters and visitors during the Historic Tour of Homes during Hollydazzle Week.

The business community, Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Board and non-profit organizations outdid themselves this year for the Hollydazzle weekend. There was a lighted parade, many Santa sightings, lots of opportunities to shop local, caroling, tuba playing, free movies, clowns and Grinches and Historical Homes to visit.

The community got a chance to visit the Blum Boehmler home that was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and still stands today in all its beautiful simplicity. They toured the Harriman Nielsen Historic Farm and drank glug while being told the stories of the early Danish immigrants to Franklin County. West of town visitors were delighted by the many Christmas trees in the Sears Roebuck home better known as the Country Heritage Bed and Breakfast. The Old Stone House built in 1854 by one of the first settlers of the county was seen and enjoyed as the oldest and coldest Christmas in Franklin County. Finally, Townsend Winery enthralled visitors with good wine, great stories and a chance to leave with local Franklin County wines.

It was our goal to raise a few dollars for special projects at The Old Stone House and Harriman Nielsen Historic Farm. That goal was accomplished. We also got the opportunity to show our citizens why we are so proud of Franklin County – our history is here! The Franklin County Historical Society is looking forward to 2010 and welcomes everyone to become involved in your history. Our stories tell where we’ve been and help guide us to where we want to go.

Special thanks must be given to several people and organizations. ABCM supplied the buses to visit the homes – at no charge. We were able to offer a safe ride with plenty of conversation and enjoyment to the visitors. Doreen Petersen, Mary Marquardt, and Keri Holmes gave remarkable tours of the Harriman Nielsen and Old Stone House sites. Joyce Blum opened up her home to the public and supplied remarkable friends and family to take us through the house. They all went above and beyond our expectations. Donnis Borcherding, her niece Lacey and husband Dave took us graciously into their home and made us all want to stay the night. The local banks and specialty shops sold tickets and spread the word of the event. Franklin County Tourism gave us a special grant to make the advertising and planning of this event all possible.

Thank you Franklin County – we’re proud to live here!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

and the little children shall lead them...

19 kids from age 3 to 15, 6 adults and apple peels, chains, popcorn strings, cranberries on a thread ............just what you need to decorate a tree for the Old Stone House.

Geneva United Methodist Church has a Sunday School with 23 children that attend regularly. That is exciting news for a small town! Even more exciting, they volunteered to make the decorations and then decorate the trees for Christmas at the Old Stone House.

We told stories of what living in the house in the 1850's would have been like. They probably spent the first winter living in the basement. It's got a dirt floor, low ceiling and is cold. The kids have homes with finished basements and just imagining what that winter would have been like in the Old Stone House made them grateful for what they have.

We explained why the bed had ropes in it. Mattresses were material covers stuffed with straw, hay, feathers, whatever they could find and placed on top of the ropes that were woven into the bed frame. They may have changed the bedding only once or twice a year - and it probably had bugs in it. Then the ropes were tightened so the bed would not sag. The old saying "sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite" really meant something!

Our Historical Tour of Homes is this coming weekend, and we feel honored to have our local children involved in the process. Thank you Geneva!

Cleaning the Old Stone House

This week we are getting the Old Stone House ready for the Historical Tour of Homes.

That means cleaning it inside. Normally, a group of ten to twenty ladies from the Historical Society show up with buckets, rags, shop vacs and loads of energy. We usually clean it every spring when it's a little warmer. The bugs come in when it starts to get colder and die off in the winter. It's ready for a good cleaning by spring.

This year we had two days notice and three of us showed up. All with our heads covered, rags and buckets in hand. We also brought the new shop vac.
Jeff had a better idea. He proposed we use the Stihl leafblower and just blow out the bugs and dirt. NO NO NO!!!! We decided there were too many bugs! Instead, he used the industrial leaf blower (still a Stihl) to pick up the piles of bugs Keri and I swept. That worked very well.

Still, the Stihl wanted a better workout. Jeff was itching to try it out. And frankly, I wondered what would happen? There were still some bugs in the rugs. Dust everywhere (we re-pointed the exterior this fall and it created a ton of dust). What did we have to lose? Either way we had to clean it.

So we went ahead and did. (if you can't see the video below, try this link)

Decorations Going In

The Old Stone House is one of the featured homes on the Historical Tour of Homes for the Hollydazzle Celebration. (read about it here) .

That means we need to decorate for Christmas. The Geneva United Methodist Church Sunday School has agreed, gladly, to make the decorations and hang them.
The little ones made green and red chain rings and it was serious business! A little bit of glue was eaten, a lot was put on the tables and some even made it onto the construction paper!

The older kids made apple chains. We brought out the old fashioned apple peelers and the Pampered Chef ones too. They peeled long strips of apple that are drying - when Christmas is over, they come off the tree and go outside into the big trees to feed the birds.

We're stringing cranberries and popcorn this week too. A couple of us will go out and chop down some scrub cedar trees, put them in a bucket of sand and add water. The Old Stone House will smell like cedar! After the holidays, we can saw them into cedar pieces and put those pieces around the house and in drawers to keep things fresh.

Next Sunday, November 29th, the entire Sunday School will take the 2 mile trip to the Old Stone House and decorate. The Hampton Chronicle photographer will meet us out there and take pictures - we're going to be in the paper

It's exciting here in Franklin County Iowa. The kids are having a great time decorating and learning a little history along the way. They are also seeing practical ways they can recycle. The adults are thrilled to see their children so happy. We're making a difference!

You can make a difference too. Chip In. Help us restore the Old Stone House and create a living history home - that all can use.

Geothermal Lines Go In

Phase Two: installation of geothermal heating and air and comes at a cost of almost $25,000. It may seem pricy. However, yearly heating/air costs will amount to around $300. This also includes costs for upgrading the electrical system. Keeping a consistent temperature will keep out moisture and preserve the building for a long time.

We asked for bids from local Franklin County companies and one from Hardin County. We looked at the bids presented, the length of experience, the warranties offered and the contribution to the community each company offered. It was a hard decision - and based on all of the criteria we made a decision. Barnhardt Electric was selected to perform the work.

It is our hope that all of the geothermal can be installed before winter sets in. You'll see us in the community fund raising and we hope you'll contribute as well. Installing it this fall will help the mortar set better and allow us to have a warmer Historical Tour of Homes.

The first stage was installing the geothermal lines. I could write about it, however ... we got Joe Pitsor on video telling us how they did it and showing pictures! (if you can't see the video just go here)

Hollydazzle Historic Tour of Homes

Do you remember as a kid driving around and looking at homes? Back in the 60's my folks would pile us into the car and we'd go for a ride. We'd drive by homes and maybe we knew them - so mom would tell us the story of the family. Maybe we didn't know them, and we'd make up our own stories! Once and awhile we'd stop and visit. Usually though, we would just drive around looking.

What if you could get on a bus, go visit 5 historical homes, get a full tour of each home, ask all the questions you want, eat and drink and maybe even have a glass of wine when it's all over?

Now you can.

Welcome to the Hollydazzle Historical Tour of Homes. We will be touring the Blum/Boehmler House in Hampton, The Harriman Nielsen House on the West edge of Hampton, Country Heritage Bed and Breakfast five miles West of Hampton, The Old Stone House on the way to Geneva and ending at Townsend Winery in Hansell. You will learn the history of each home, be able to ask all the questions you want, enjoy a light repast at several homes and receive a wine tasting at the Winery.

When:
December 5: one to four p.m. or December 6: three to six p.m.

Where:
meet the bus by the park across from the Post Office. Or you can drive yourself if you like.

Who:
everyone is invited! There is a charge of $15 in advance or $20 the day of. Tickets can be purchased at the specialty shops downtown, the banks, at Center 1 or simply call Deb at 641-458-1114 and she'll arrange one to be sent to you! There will be a widget very soon at http://www.oldstonehouse.org/

Why:
This is a fundraiser with proceeds to be divided between the Old Stone House and the Harriman Neilsen House - both properties of the Franklin County Historical Society.


Can't come? Why not give a loved one a ticket for an early Christmas gift? Or purchase a ticket and lets us share it with a resident of one of the nursing homes?


Please come - you're supporting the Franklin County Historical Society and you'll also have the opportunity to enjoy a few of the county's historical homes!

Working on the house

Terry Cole and his team came in like gangbusters.

The guys removed the old mortar from all four outside walls and in the basement. They went back and put in the proper limestone mortar mix, added a few more stones, repaired or made new thresholds, worked around the windows, fixed the joists in the basement and welcomed Joe Pitsor just about everyday. They put up with Deb asking a million questions and taking even more pictures.

Here's a video showing the work as it was being done and the finished product. Notice the rocks looking very prominent in the beginning, and then smoothed out in the end of the video. See the water wagon? Jeff Burkley came every weekend twice a day and watered the building. This help set the mortar.

The Work Begins

Phase One - repair of the exterior - required about $55,000.

We received $5,000 from Franklin County Community Foundation, $10,000 from the Historical Society - and that gave us enough to complete Phase One. Contracts were signed, and scaffolds were erected.

Terry Cole's team of workers began in September on the North Wall. First they had to remove the old masonry with a hammer and chisel. It was tedious work, and they were amazing to watch work! (The picture was taken after old masonry was taken out, and before new put in)

There were spots that required more limestone pieces. Joe Pitsor, Jeff Burkley and Deb Brown headed to the old pit just North of the stone house, back of the pit and through the brush.

Here's the video of that trip to the limestone quarry.

Getting Some Money

The new committee, OSHA - knew we had to figure out what needed to be done, paint a picture of how the future could look and then find the money to do the work.

We called in Renaissance Restoration to give us an estimate on how to fix the outside first. We knew we needed some tuckpointing, basement floor joists fixed, some masonry work. They had been recommended by the State Historical Society. Terry Cole came on out and gave us his bid. It's important to know that if you are doing historical restoration, and you want grant money, you need to use a recommended provider. The work has to be done by hand (like when they built it) and ideally use local materials.

Keri and Deb wrote a grant requesting $40,574 to the State Historical Society of Iowa, Historical Resource Development Program. I don't think anyone believed they would actually get the grant.

But get it they did! Here's just a few parts of that grant.


1) Specifically identify the historical resource and state its significance:
The Leander Reeve House (also know as The Old Stone House) was built in 1854 by Leander Reeve for his wife who it was said would not move from Ohio until she had a 'proper house'. The stone came from nearby Maynes Creek, the walnut timbers in the cellar came from nearby Maynes Grove. The floor plan has never been altered.

The house is a 2 story structure with seven rooms, complete with full basement, two bedrooms on the second floor and a pantry just off the kitchen. The dimensions are approximately 26' x 32'. The foundation and exterior walls are of rubble limestone. The front gable roof, reshingled in 1962, has a rather shallow pitch, and narrow wooden cornices. A single chimney is centered on the roof ridge. It's location is at the corner of Raven and 105th St, 2 miles West of Geneva.

It was the first permanent structure built in Franklin county and the oldest still in existence. The Leander Reeve House is truly a living history home of the 1850's. It is used by school and youth groups, families for reunions and other adult organizations. Here is where our children have an unique opportunity to visit, work, eat and maybe one day sleep in a real pioneer home.

2) provide an overview Of the activities you will complete
We have received a bid from Renaissance Restoration whose work will meet the U.S. Secretary of Interiors Standards for Rehabilitation. They have over 20 years of masonry restoration experience with both brick and stone. Their masonry craftsmen have been trained by US Heritage in lime putty mortar and masonry repairs. We have attached said bid, as it qualifies for our budget, for your perusal. We have broken down the project into subsections. They are:

Exterior Masonry Restoration
Exterior Mortar Joints all 4 elevations. ..$ 34,534.00
Re-Caulk Exterior Doors and Windows........$ 2,885.00
New Gutters and Downspouts ................$ 5,680.00
Repair Deteriorated Basement
Floor Joist, Door Sills and Thresholds.....$ 2,860.00
Interior Basement Wall Mortar Joints
All 4 Elevations.........................$ 14,150.00

The picture is Joe, Darwin and Terry Cole.

Preserving Our Past

In 1979 the original Committee to restore the Old Stone House took a building whose Southeast wall had fallen away exposing the building and rebuilt it into a building they could be proud of. They made sure it was listed on the Historical Register as well. The years have passed, and much work remains to be done.

First, a little history:
Leander Reeve traveled from Ashtabula County, in the Northeast County of Ohio on Lake Erie to the prairies of Northern Iowa. He met up with his brother James who was living in a sod house and was the first white man to live in the county. They broke ground and began farming.

Leander wanted to bring his wife and family out, but needed to build her a proper house! In 1852 they started to build the Old Stone House and completed it in 1854. Limestone from the area was used and a proper house with 4 bedrooms, a full basement and a bathroom outside was built. He brought his family out that year.

Since then 15 other families have lived in that house, the last living there in 1954. The Old Stone House is believed to be the only one still standing between here and the Mississippi. It holds a place in Iowa history – and we in Franklin County are proud to have it here.

A new committee has been formed. The Old Stone House Association, affiliated with the Franklin County Historical Society. The committee members are Darwin Meyer, Joe Pitsor, Keri Holmes and Deb Brown. Advisors are Jeff Burkley and Paul Wuhlbrandt. (Darwin, Joe and Jeff pictured)

The Backstory

In the 1880’s news of the fertile soil, excellent timberlands and rivers of the Midwest was sent to eastern United States and across the ocean to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, England and Ireland. Because of political upheaval, military service, religious persecution, poverty and restlessness, many people began looking for a new life. In 1833 white easterners and immigrants began pouring across the Mississippi River into Iowa. Land could be purchased for $1.25 an acre from the Government.

In April 1853, Leander Reeve came by train from Ashtubula County, Ohio, to the end of the line in Rockford, Illinois. He then traveled by stagecoach to the end of its route at Galena, Illinois. From then on he walked to Franklin County to find his brother, James, who was living with Mr. and Mrs. John Mayne in a log cabin which was located where the During farm is now, about ½ mile west of the Stone House on the north side of the road. This was the first and only cabin in Franklin County at the time.

After doing some trapping, he took over the parcel of land where the Stone House sits from Allison Phelps, who had claimed it the previous year. He broke 10 acres of this prairie sod east of the house. Prairie sod had thick matted interwoven roots two feet deep that hadn’t been disturbed for 8,000 years. In Illinois sixteen years earlier, in 1837, John Deere had invented a plow with a steel mould board that was needed to turn this sod. Strong oxen were better able to pull a plow than horses. Perhaps Leander had such a plow. Any provisions and supplies had to be gotten from Cedar Falls or Janesville by foot or by horse and wagon.

Leander then went back to Ohio and the following spring of 1854 he returned and built the Stone House. The stone surely came from Maynes Creek nearby. The walnut timbers in the cellar on which axe marks are still visible surely came from Maynes Grove. This house must have been elegant for this area as most others were log cabins. Soon many came to Maynes Grove, the first settlement of Franklin County. They conducted church services in cabins, had the first courthouse in James Reeve’s cabin and a sixteen-year-old girl, Octavia Smith, taught the first class of children in the county.

Except for the Mesquakies at Tama, very few Indians or buffalo were seen in Iowa after 1854. Leander brought his family here in 1854 but his wife could never like Iowa, she longed for more civilized life in Ohio. So they went back for good three years later. Leander’s wife apparently had household help as Marion Boots of Dumont says her grandmother walked from Four Mile Grove to work in the Reeve home.

Simeon Carter bought the house and farm from the Reeves. In 1859, four years after the Stone House was built, D. W. Dow, a young lawyer, came to Hampton, which had acquired 75 residents, 20-25 homes and several businesses. He set up a law office in Hampton House but had only one client that summer, who paid him in watermelons. So he had to carpenter and then taught school in the Maynes Grove settlement. Here he met Simeon Carter’s daughter and they were married in the Stone House. Her wedding dress is in the Franklin County Museum. They were the third residents in the house, followed by about 13 more families. The list is on the north wall of the house. None of the house’s contents were ever owned by those who occupied it.The floor plan has never been altered.