HISTORIC HOMES in Ashland NE
You will find the Pictures, History and Stories about Ashland's Historic Homes on this page of our website:
Historic Homes histories, memories & stories
. . . the following are detailed below:
* * Squire Hill - Grover & Mary Ann Squires
* * Shedd, H. H. - Harnsberger, Carl W. - Proctor, Ron & Elaine
* * Dennis Dean 'Limestone House'
* * Ernest A. Wiggenhorn - NEW photograph MAR 2011
This photograph of the entire home was graciously made
available to the AHS by "Photography by M.J."
Silver Street Square - 14th & Silver St
Note - the photograph is copyrighted:
prints available at "Photography by M.J."
* * P. W. (Phillip Weeks) Folsom
2 homes have been NEWLY ADDED :
* * Walton, Charles N. & Pearl - West, Earl & Alice * * * The last Ashland property we have included on this page is that
of the Burlington Depot, that was built in 1907 & demolished in 2009
While the BURLINGTON DEPOT . . is not exactly a home . .
the railroad was and is certainly an integral part of Ashland NE history
There are several more historic homes in Ashland & the Ashland area.
We will add more Historic Homes in Ashland NE
as those histories, memories and stories become available.
Look for the * * Mead - Niemeyer home soon
JUST POSTED ! ! the * * Beetison Mansion
NEW information posted January 30, 2011
& others will be coming very soon !
AHS now has FACEBOOK page
we invite you to "become a Friend"
& to share your comments, stories, 'historic moments' & discussions
AHS FACEBOOK link:
JOIN US as a "FRIEND" ^ of Ashland Historical Society
W. A . Harnsberger home - NE Corner of 15th & Clay
A historical presentation was given to the AHS-SFHPS by Brenda May and her mother
and an article appeared in the Ashland Gazette about the W. A. Harnsberger home.
"These walls can talk: about Ashland's past"
A family that bought the historic Harnsberger home finds drawings,
poetry and the family's history under wallpaper.
below is an article that appeared in the Ashland Gazette on October 14th 2007
we reprint it here, with grateful acknowledgement to Suzi Nelson, Ashland Gazette
ASHLAND, Neb.:
Members of a local family made an interesting discovery as they peeled away wallpaper in their historic home.
It started as a simple remodeling project. Brenda May was taking off old wallpaper in preparation to redo a water-damaged wall in the staircase leading to the second floor of her home. As she peeled away the gold-striped paper, which had probably been glued on 50 years ago, she found drawings underneath on the original plaster.
The drawings were of women in long dresses and men in top-hats and long coats. May was intrigued by them, but they did not pique her interest as much as what she found farther down the stairs.
At the first landing, the wallpaper removal revealed several names.
The entire wall was filled with names like "Miss Duty Von Mansfield" and "Miss Armstrong"
under the heading "Teachers of Ashland Public School of 1902."
The names came with a poem:
"Our teachers dear
We love them all
For we are at their Beck and call"
The name Emma Frances Harnsberger was written below.
The words, written in a fancy but youthful script, were not the first seen by the May family.
In an upstairs hallway, the wallpaper had peeled away after years of humidity and active occupants.
At the time, the family didn't think much of it, writing it off as a child's scribbling.
But with this newly revealed handiwork, May's daughter, Savannah, took it upon herself to do a little research upstairs. As she peeled away the layers of old wallpaper, more information was revealed about previous occupants of the house. Emma Harnsberger had used the upstairs hallway to record her family history.
On the top of the wall was "Harnsberger Family, written the 15th day of May 1902."
Below, the names of Emma's family were listed, with dates following, probably their birthdates, May guessed.
The script included William Albert Harnsberger and Josephine Wiggenhorn Harnsberger, the parents.
The children were listed below: Augusta Ernestine, Emma Frances (written just a bit bigger than her siblings), William Ernest and Earl Wesley: followed by a fancy swirl.
The Harnsberger house is a local favorite and famous for its history.
Records show it was built in the late 1800s and probably finished in 1902.
William Albert Harnsberger was a local businessman who ran an implement dealership.
His wife, Josephine, was a member of the Wiggenhorn family, which had been a part of Ashland
since the community's early years and had founded Farmers and Merchants Bank.
The upstairs hallway also revealed names of another family:
Ella Imogene McCaig, John McCaig, Irene McCaig and Harold McCaig.
May showed pictures of the writings to members of the (AHS) Saline Ford Historical Preservation Society
at a recent meeting. Martha Fricke, whose late husband, Robert, was a descendant of the Wiggenhorn family, said the McCaigs may have been related to the Harnsbergers. 
(Inserted note: Martha "Marney" (Cook) Fricke, Vice President of the AHS-SFHPS,
passed way January 6, 2010 - her many contributions to the AHS-SFHPS
and the Ashland NE community will be and are sorely missed)
May said although the writings and drawings are quite interesting, she will have to cover them up. The upper walls of the stairway will have new drywall placed over the old plaster and lathe, something that cannot be put off, she said. The bare plaster that contains the writings is still in good shape but will have to be painted, she added.
"As much as I really hate to, what do you do with it?" asked May.
May said she will honor the home's history by keeping a salvaged piece of the wallpaper that preserved one of the drawings and by framing photos of the writings. She also plans to put a time capsule in the repaired wall that will have a picture of her daughter, copies of the Ashland Gazette and photos of the home past and present.
NOVEMBER 2010 update: Brenda May has had the complete roof restored & replaced. Her 'next project'
in the restoration of the famous home is to have the exterior completely repainted, gutters replaces, etc.
This winter photo taken in 2007 by Brenda May, current owner
The 'carriage house', shown in 'No.32' above, still stands in remarkable condition
SQUIRE HILL - 602 Dale Street
SQUIRE HILL 602 Dale Street, Ashland, Nebraska
Legal Description: Lots 5-8 Block 4 Beetisons Addition to Ashland
By Marie Squire Groenjes, April, 2008
In 1915 my paternal Grandparents, Grover and Mary Ann Squire, bought four lots in the Beetison Addition situated in East Ashland, Nebraska.
The lots were part of the Israel Beetison farm. Israel came to Ashland in 1859 to settle land, then served in the Civil War, married and returned to farm in 1867. Some of his land would have been the Government Land Grant given to Civil War Veterans.
My Grandparents' lots sit on a hill that slopes on all sides, giving a wide view of the surrounding country. Grandfather contracted with a Mr. Peterson to build a two-story house in the style of the Sears Farmhouse. It cost $600 in 1915.
Grandfather worked for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and he also sold nursery stock by horse and buggy.
My Father, Clifford P. Squire, also worked for the same railroad. When he married my Mother, Mearl Marie Shirley, in 1924, he took over ownership of the property and he added the front porch, a basement and a back porch or summer kitchen.
We saw the sun rise over Beetison fields, pastures and The Seven Hollows. It was always a spring ritual to cross the pasture into the Hollows to look for violets and mushrooms. I recall a disgruntled old ram chasing us into the woods on one occasion. Now the sun comes up over the Iron Horse Development.
I don't know when this hill became known as Squire Hill, but in my childhood, after a good snowfall, the City would close Dale Street and 6th Street on a weekend to make a safe sledding run. People came from town and even brought four-man toboggans.
The latest addition to the house was a new kitchen in place of the back porch and decks both at the kitchen level and above on the second floor. This was done in 1989.
The family always considered landscaping an important part of the home. From Grandfather to my Father trees and gardens were planted and cared for even through drought. Grandfather, being a nurseryman, grew many kinds of fruits and berries. In 1939 I helped my father plant Siberian Elms given out by the Government, and a hedge of Mulberry. Most of them remain today. Gerhard and I have added hardwoods and evergreens to the mix. Hills on the prairie feel the wind the year around.
Shedd-Harnsberger-Proctor Home NW corner of 16th & Boyd
1602 Boyd Street, Ashland, Nebraska
Legal Description: Lots 11-12, Block 14, Flora City Addition to Ashland
By Elaine Proctor 2008
The abstract of title begins as the East Quarter of Sec. 2, Township 12, and Range 9 East in Saunders County.
It was probably 80 acres in all and started selling in 10-acre segments in 1860.
The Flora City, Smith-Warbritten addition was deeded in 1868.
Although our house isn't as originally built, that part of the house does still exist.
It was originally a square house with three or four rooms upstairs and probably 3 down.
When we remodeled, we could see that the living room had been opened up making one room out of two;
probably the parlor and dining room with the third room being the kitchen.
Going upstairs there were possibly 3 or 4 bedrooms and later, when the back part of the house
was added on, the back staircase was added and a bathroom.
In the attic you can see the original roof and where the addition was added on.
Kate L. Shedd purchased these lots in March of 1880 for $175.
She and her husband, H. H. Shedd, had a mortgage of $1400 in August of 1881.
We feel the house was built at that time as that was a large sum of money for that day and age.
The mortgage was released in December of 1885.
These dates I feel are close, making our house about 127 years old.
I think the Shedds owned this property until 1923 and then sold it to Carl W. Harnsberger.
H.H. Shedd was a prominent citizen of Ashland and an early member of the Congregational Church.
Mr. Shedd came from eastern Iowa in 1871 and had a general store in Ashland in the late 1870s.
As I said, Kate L. Shedd and her husband bult our home.
Mrs. Florence Williams referred to him as the Honorable H. H. Shedd;
former congressman and Lt. Governor of Nebraska (1885-1889)
He was a Republican and an active member of the Nebraska Historical Society in 1885.
He was a long-time organist, choir director and Sunday School Superintendent of the Congregational Church.
The three windows on the west side of the church were dedicated in his name to the church by the town in appreciation for the honor he had brought to Ashland and for his community involvement.
When we bought our home in 1973 we received a very nice letter from
Florence Williams, church clerk for the Congregational Church.
Mrs. Williams gave us a little history about our home and I found some on the internet.
When we started "remodeling" our home, I never dreamed we'd wind up tearing out everything inside and starting over.
Ron wanted to keep the house as true to the original as we could.
The house had fallen into such disrepair we couldn't save any of the once-beautiful oak floors.
The first twenty years we had the old windows throughout the house with the exception of those in the living room.
Those were probably replaced when either P.D. Pyle and Willard Smith or Louis and Gretchen Johnson owned it.
Our home was an apartment house when Pyle and Smith lived here but Johnsons returned it to a single-family home.
Eventually we did have to change the windows but stayed with the same style, only smaller.
We tried to salvage the woodwork also.
We went through gallons of stripper but reached a layer of paint that could not be penetrated.
We couldn't at that time buy wood trim of that period so we tore it all out & Ron routed all new trim for all the doors & windows. He used #2 grade pine 1x4s, still not quite as wide as the original approximately 5 inch wide woodwork,
but it was close enough to look right.
When we gutted the upstairs, we found the outlines of how the rooms had been when the house was built with the bedroom doors on an angle rather than square with the hall making a sort of vestibule at the top of the stairs.
We put the doors back the way they had been originally. Dick Harnsberger came to visit us once and he said there was
a bedroom in this open area when he lived in the house so there must have been a hall before it was made into apartments.
Dick was very pleased with what we'd done. He said we had returned it to a home again.
We did do some re-arranging of some of the rooms upstairs but only to imrove closet arrangements.
The foundation is large 1 ft. x 3 ft. x 18 in. quarried blocks.
To fill space large flat stones were cemented in to make the wall even.
The structure of the house we found at the time we gutted the upstairs is called "balloon" framing, meaning the
framing 2x4 area continued from the basement all the way up to the second floor with no sill plate between floors.
We also found that carpenters and construction techniques have changed a lot through time.
Some little things we've found in our home that we've never thought of changing are initials
on the back of the riser of the stairs going to the basement:
C.H. + V.P. (probably Carl Harnsberger plus Virginia Packer) and on a post some names of carpenters that are not legible.
We've tried to do the house honor by restoring it to some of its former glory.
Ron's mother, Mrs. Esther Anderson, said she could remember Mrs. Shedd sitting on our porch
(in the area we have screened in) when she was a young girl about 13 or so (1913).
We have found the Shedd's lots in the cemetery. I think it is important to remember times and places of the past.
So many times they tear down the old for building something new with less charm and character.
Dennis Dean's Limestone House
Dennis Dean's Limestone House
by Martha (Marti) Dean Fritzen
NOTE: we have many other photos that will be inserted with this article soon - stay tuned ! !
Dennis Dean was born in New York state in 1824.
Forty years later in 1864 he moved to Saline Ford, Nebraska (now Ashland)
and built a grist mill on Salt Creek (now between 11th and 12th Streets) at the spot
where the 'new' high bridge goes over Salt Creek & the BNSF railroad,
connecting Ashland NE to Highways US 6 & NE 66.
Before coming to Nebraska he had lived in New York, Michigan, Indiana and Iowa.
When he married his first wife in 1843 he did some farming and in 1849 he started running mills
and by 1852 he bought his first mill and continued running mills. He sold the Ashland mill in 1883.
He farmed and also sold lumber, coal and farm machinery during and after the time that he ran the Ashland mill.
In 1885 he left Ashland and moved to Morrilton, Arkansas where he bought a saw mill, 1000 acres of timberland
and a locomotive. He produced lumber for two years before he returned to Ashland.
Dennis was a prominent person in the Ashland community. He was the founder of the Baptist Church * *
He was the first County Clerk of Saunders County and held the office of Justice of the Peace.
In March 1870 he was elected Chairman of the Board of village trustees at their first meeting.
He helped organize a bank and served as its Vice President.
On January 16, 1865 Dennis bought a quarter section of land.
The legal description is SW1/4 Section 1 Township 12 Range 9. He bought it for taxes and paid $45.00.
This section includes most of East Ashland except for a half-block strip of land west of 6th Street.
Its northern border is probably Birch Street and the western border is 14th Street.
Approximately 1/3 of the section is outside the city limits south of East Ashland.
A small portion is on the west side of Salt Creek.
Dennis' house was built on Block 16 of the Dennis Dean Addition in that quarter section of land.
Block 16 was just north of the Dennis Dean Residential Lot which was a four-square-block area.
Its borders were 9th Street (now named Dennis Dean Road) on the east,
Fir Street on the south and 11th Street on the west.
Eleventh Street isn't on the map but it is approximately even with the east end of the Silver Street bridge.
The border on the north was Dale Street.
Although it was called the Residential Lot, he had farm buildings on it.
He built two barns, a corncrib, ice house, chicken house, and blacksmith shop on this lot.
He raised cattle and chickens there as well as having a large garden including grapes.
The Residential Lot and Block 16 were not platted into the usual smaller lots
so this is the only legal description we have for Dennis Dean's property.
When Dennis was about 65 he made a list of what he had done during his life.
In that list he states that he built his house in 1865.
That date is probably correct since he bought the 160 acres of land in that year.
The house measured approximately 60 feet by 30 feet. The walls were 18 inches thick
and the windows were 6 panes over 6 panes except for the small ones upstairs under the eaves.
There was a front porch that faced west and stretched the entire length of the house.
There were two chimneys, one at the north end of the building that went down to the basement
and a center one that went down to the living room floor.
The woodwork and floors were made from hand-planed walnut.
The basement extended under the whole house with
one outside entrance and one inside at the center of the house.
There is not very much information on the rooms in the house.
The photos of the family taken inside the house show Dennis in front of his desk talking to family members.
Another photo of the same room shows Dennis and his wife, Drucilla, seated by a small table in front of the desk.
Their daughter, May, and son, Roy, are standing behind them.
In this picture we see that the desk is in a small room and that Dennis
may have considered this room to be his office.
There is a photo of his sons sitting around a large dining table.
Another picture shows a variety of family members sitting at the same table.
More of the room can be seen and a window is visible so we know
that the table is in a separate room and not part of the kitchen.
A family picture taken on Dennis' 80th birthday was probably taken in the living room.
The furnace room was in the northeast corner of the basement.
There was a sofa there where Dennis could take his after dinner naps.
He was away from the noise of the family and it would have been warm.
The stones used to build the house were rectangular limestone.
When the house was taken down some of the stones were used
to construct a commercial building just north of 120 N. 14th Street.
That building burned and several of the stones were saved and
stored by the Saline Ford Historical Preservation Society.
There was a cistern on the east side of the house with a sandstone wash house built above.
Dennis used spring water to fill his cistern and piped it in from springs that were 4 or 5 blocks away
on or near the property which now has the address of 709 Dennis Dean Road.
The old maps of Ashland had a street going through
about where that house is and it was called Spring Street.
This street was platted but was never actually there.
East Ashland is quite hilly and the water would have had to travel uphill to get to Dennis' house and to his cattle on the Residential Lot. Lillian (Dean) Bailey, who was his great granddaughter, believed that he must have used a hydraulic ram to move the water up the hills. "This small device is a cyclic water pump powered by hydropower. It functions as a hydraulic transformer that takes in water at one 'hydraulic head' (pressure) and flow-rate, and outputs water at a higher hydraulic-head and lower flow-rate. The device utilizes the water hammer effect to develop pressure that allows a portion of the input water that powers the pump to be listed to a point higher than where the water originally started." (definition found in Wikipedia)
The first addition or change the family made to their house was to convert part of the front porch to a
room for Drusilla's plants. They called it the conservatory and it was on the southwest corner of the house.
In 1874 he built a brick addition to the house on the northeast corner.
It included a new kitchen and a bathroom. The water tank for the toilet was six feet high on the wall.
Ralph Dean, Dennis' grandson, said that that was the first indoor toilet he saw when he was a child.
The bathtub was made of zinc and had a wooden cover for when it wasn't being used.
The steam heat and hard coal furnace may have been installed at this time.
When the house was first built it had several tiny windows under the eaves on the west side of the house
just above the porch roof. Later dormer windows were installed in place of them.
Perhaps that was done when the brick addition was built.
Later the railroad gave Dennis the galvanized iron roof that had been on the nearby Schuyler railroad bridge.
He put it on his house roof to protect it from catching fire from the sparks from the trains.
In 1870 the railroad built a line through Ashland and nearly went through Dennis' house.
The tracks were very close to the house. In the photographs there is a road next to the picket fence and
the tracks are next to the road. They wanted the land his house was on, but he made a bargain with them.
He furnished their trains with water and they let him stay in the house as long as he lived.
Dennis Dean died in 1908. The house was dismantled by the family in 1917.
It appears that many parts of the house were recycled.
My mother, Lillian (Dean) Bailey, had just a little memory of the house.
(see Lillian's recollections, below)
"In 1917 I was 5 years old. That makes it possible for me to remember something about Dennis Dean's house.
I can recall walking in the front door and being amazed that there were holes in the floor
and I could see down into the basement.
The reason for the holes in the floor were that the finishing floor had already been torn up
as the house was gradually being removed from the railroad's property."
"I walked on through to the back door and on to the back porch.
There was the wash house built of sandstone and beneath it was the famous cistern
from which Dennis furnished water for the railroad."
Ernest A. Wiggenhorn Home NE corner of 15th & Boyd
(NOTE: the top two + stories have been removed - the Carriage House still stands)
Ernest A. Wiggenhorn Home NE corner of 15th & Boyd
(NOTE:The present one-story house is built on the original foundation - the Carriage House still stands)
Note - the photograph (above) is copyrighted:
Ernest A. Wiggenhorn Home - NE corner of 15th & Boyd.
This magnificent 3 + story home occupied nearly the S 1/2 of the block between 14th & 15th on the N side of Boyd Street.
Wiggenhorn was the Founder of Farmers & Merchants Bank of Ashland on Nov 15 1883 & is the longest running business
in the Ashland community under continuous ownership by one family. Robert C. Fricke, current President is the
Great-Great-Grandson of the Founder. Fifth generation family members help out today, while attending school.
The original home & property was sold, and was extensively remodeled to be a one story home;
- the property was then divided & a newer home was built in front of the carriage house.
The beautiful carriage house still exists & is now part of the property of the newly-built home.
In recent years the newly-built home in front of the carriage house,
belonged to George Noel Snodgrass & his wife Edna May "Kay" (Koehler) Snodgrass.
The extensively-remodeled one story home on the NE corner
of 15th & Boyd is now the home of Chris & Joyce Sawyer.
The P. W. (Phillip Weeks) FOLSOM House - 208 North 15th - Ashland
Legal Description: Lots 1 & 2 of Block 18 of Flora City Addition to Ashland by Shirley (Raikes) Hemke October 2, 2008
My Grandparents, Philip and Clara Folsom, lived in the house at 208 North 15th Street
from 1914 until 1956 when it was sold to Grandmother's brother, John Hoffman.
The house has been owned by LaVerne "Lefty" and Carol Anderson for several years.
The Folsom family originally came from Norfolk, England on the ship Dilegent in 1638 and settled in Worcester, Vermont. They traveled west in 1869, crossing the Missouri River on the ice on March 1. They homesteaded on land about three miles south of Ithaca,
moving later to Wahoo, then south Bend and finally to Ashland in 1892.
Philip W. Folsom was the oldest of eight children.
He graduated from Ashland High School in the class of 1895.
In 1897 he started a tobacco and cigar shop and also repaired watches in his home.
The 1900 census lists him as a cigar maker.
In 1898 he married Clara Hoffman and they had two daughters, Mildred and Glendora.
Hoffman family gathering - Clara (Hoffman) Folson is second from the left
When she was 9 years old, Mildred contracted infantile paralysis, now known as polio,
and she spent the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Glendora married Forrest Raikes.
The cigar shop was sold in the fall of 1904 and in the spring of 1905
Philip started a jewelry store and continued to operate it until his death in 1941.
In addition to watch repair they sold pianos, sewing machines and glass-headed dolls.
Clara Folsom continued to live in their home with her invalid daughter,
Mildred, and Harlow, Phillips brother, ran the P. W. Folsom Jewelry Store and
Watch Repair business at 1419 Silver Street *, the building east of Breadeaux Pizza.
* The "1419 Silver " building is now owned by PenLink & is the Glacial Till Vineyard Tasting Room
See www.PenLink.com June 2010 records show Michael Murman owns the building & is Owner of Glacial Till Vineyard. Mike is assisted by his sons, John, Tim & Craig
- the vineyard & winery are located near Palmyra NE in Otoe County.
The house remains much the same as it was when my
Grandparents lived there except for some interior renovating.
I remember the stucco exterior and the spacious veranda
and wide steps which accommodated Mildred's wheelchair.
China cupboards were built into the dining room and
I have a free-standing breakfront with a round glass front from the dining room.
The yard was beautifully landscaped.
Bushes lined the alleyway and lots of flowers were planted in front of the bushes.
In the center of the side yard was a pergola with a birdbath in front of it.
The birdbath and octagon-shaped stepping stones leading from
the front sidewalk around the side to the back door and around
the fish pond in the back yard were made of small stones set in cement.
The fish pond was also made of the small stones
set in cement and was stocked with goldfish.
In the winter the goldfish were kept in large
ten-gallon crocks in the basement of the house.
I liked spending a Saturday night with Grandma and Grandpa Folsom
and helping Grandma feed the fish and change the water.
At the back of the side yard was a grape arbor running from the fish pond to the garage.
The Folsoms rented out rooms in the upstairs of the house,
mostly to school teachers since the house was only three blocks from the school.
My first-grade teacher, Miss Petersen, roomed there.
I remember going to dinner at my Grandparents' house every Sunday.
I have lots of fond memories of that home.
the FOLSOM House, featured above, was that of Shirley (Raikes) Hemke's grandparents
A presentation of the history of the FOLSOM house was given by Shirley (Raikes) Hemke
at a meeting of the AHS-SFHPS - a summary of that presentation was published in the FEB 2009 newsletter
A picture from the past - the 1948 Stir-Up Days Royalty - the very first Stir-Up celebration !
R
WALTON - WEST HOME - 508 N 13th Street
A Look at South Half of Lots 7-8-9 Block 3 of Folsom’s Addition: The Walton - West Home
By Earl and Alice West
In 1992, we moved our family into a house that has since brought us a lot of enjoyment and a lot of work.
Older houses always have needs for up-keep. But older houses have history.
We would like to tell you about the history of our house at 501 North 13th Street.
The Abstract of Title tells us that Joseph Stambaugh * * filed ownership for Lots 7-8-9 on June 30, 1865.
A filing was later made by C.N. Folsom and Pearl Folsom on Apr. 23, 1903;
followed by A.B. Fuller on July 8, 1912; and by Charles Walton on July 9, 1919.
* * Editors note: The first settlers who came to Ashland, and, in fact, to Saunders County, were Joseph Stambaugh, his wife, and three small children.
They stayed one month because of the 'unseasonable weather': August of 1856.
In March of 1857, Reuben Warbritton and his wife, John Aughe
and the Stambaugh family came, and the men staked out claims and built homes.
The (original) Staumbaugh home, 17 X 17 feet, reportedly stood on the corner of 13th and Silver Streets.
The other two homes were 10 X 12 feet; all were made of sod; and all were located in Section 35.
In June, 1857, Harrison Ramsey settled nearby and was the father of the first born settler in the county.
The second child was the Stambaugh's fourth, their son, John.
The Stambaughs had 10 children who survived the rigors of pioneering.
continuing the West's memories & history . . .
Charles N. Walton was born in 1878. He lived his early years on a farm in Knox county.
Charles attended University of Nebraska and graduated in 1905.
He married Pearl Sanders from Hodgeville, Kentucky in 1906.
Charles taught for years in Kansas and at Wahoo, where he was superintendent of schools.
Charles and Pearl moved to Ashland, where he established the Ashland State Bank in 1913.
After the bank closed early in the depression, Charles and Pearl spent a few months in California.
They returned to Ashland. Charles established a real estate and insurance business that he operated on Silver Street.
Charles and Pearl Walton had a house built on Lots 7-8-9 in 1926.
They were the first owners of the present structure at 501 North 13th Street.
They made it their home together until Pearl’s death on August 31, 1963.
Charles continued living in the house until his death, at the age of 96, on June 29, 1974.
The house and lots were given to their nephew, Edward Lundak. It was rented out for a short time.
In 1978, Tom and Susan Sandberg purchased the house.
In 1985, Sandbergs remodeled the small kitchen by expanding east into a back porch.
This project added much needed footage to the kitchen area, which now includes a small dining area.
Tom handcrafted walnut cabinets and many updates. Tom and Sue lived in the house with their family until l992.
That is when it became our house, the West’s home.
The house has a Dutch Colonial design. This style is a two-story house with a gambrel roof,
flared eaves and a side-entry floor plan. The house has a wide living room on one side and the dining room on the other.
The living room has a fireplace on the east end, flanked by built in bookcases.
A sun room with casement windows on the south of this room is one of the features of the house.
In the dining room there are two Colonial corner cupboards which add convenience for storage.
The second floor offers three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an entry to a second-floor balcony.
Features of the Dutch Colonial house are symmetrical façade and a front entry with a fanlight and sidelights.
The house has cast iron radiators and a boiler for heat supply.
One of the second floor bathrooms has the original tub and pull-chain toilet.
Over the years, “The Walton House” has become “The West House".
Added historical notes by Peg Lutton, Vice President of the AHS:
C. N. Walton may have been known as Charles when he was Superintendent of Schools in Wahoo,
but in Ashland he was always "Charlie". Charlie Walton was Mr. Republican. When Republican candidates came to town campaigning before an election, it was Charlie Walton who took them up and down the streets of Ashland to meet
the business people. He was always a delegate to the Republican conventions and was Chairman of the local group.
Charlie liked to play bridge. Monday night was bridge night and the foursome always played at the Walton home.
Pearl would not let them smoke in the house, so various of the players might sit with an unlit cigar in his mouth.
Ed Kuhl and Charlie Laune were regulars with Lyle Lindquist or Bob Thomas making up the fourth.
Pearl Walton was a true Southern lady and always retained a bit of a southern accent.
They were members of the Congregational Church but when a new pastor preached
on the equality of the races, Pearl took her membership down the street.
Pearl had a large tapestry on the South wall of her living room picturing a tiger.
She enjoyed handwork and made beautiful hooked rugs – she made one large enough to fill her dining room floor.
Pearl also enjoyed gardening and spent many hours in her yard.
One year for her birthday her friend, Margie Bliss (Mrs. Connor), mother of Mae Bishop Byrom,
dropped a dump load of barnyard manure in Pearl’s front yard.
What a birthday surprise!! Pearl was delighted – it went right on her flower beds.
BEETISON MANSION - Israel and Amelia (Holland) Beetison
Built in 1874-1875 - Placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1977
The picture above; from the 1870's, showing the family, the porches, balconies & plantings in all their grandeur
The picture of Dwight T. & Gladys Beetison, on the right, was taken in 1983.
The Beetison family lived in the mansion until 1999
Dwight & Gladys Beetison published a story about the family and the Beetison Mansion in 1983
With grateful acknowledgement to the Beetison family, we reprint that story below:
THE BEETISON FAMILY
My grandfather, Israel Beetison, left home in Staley Bridge, Manchester, England in 1845.
He landed in Massachusetts and lived there before coming to Nebraska in 1858.
He met Amelia Holland of New York City. They were married May 2, 1864.
When my grandfather came to Nebraska, land was all prairie grass. He bought it from the government
when Abraham Lincoln was president, and purchased 160 acres of land for $1.50 and $2.50 an acre.
Some of this land today is in Beetison's Addition to Ashland.
Some of the grass was broken up and used for farming, the rest for grazing cattle.
My grandparents built a small frame house in southeast Ashland.
They raised eight children out of thirteen.
As the family grew, he built this limestone house in 1874-75.
All limestone used to build this house was hauled by teams and wagons from South Bend and Louisville
before any quarries were started. They took teams and scrapers to uncover this stone.
Men who built this two-story house chiseled all the stone by hand.
Walls are 18 inches thick and plastered on the inside over stone with no air space.
It was built when Indians were around.
Grandfather Beetison had a cupola built on top of the house for a lookout for Indians.
They would camp on the hill east of the house, would come to the house, and ask for food.
Grandma Beetison gave them homemade bread.
Grandfather Beetison drove 33 miles one way with a team and wagon
to Plattsmouth to get his grain made into flour and corn meal.
He would go one day, stay at a hotel, returning the next day. He kept his horses in a livery stable.
They were fed and taken care of. He made several trips a year. There were no mills here at that time.
The roads were only trails. Grandfather Beetison came here before railroads were built.
Beetison families have always occupied this home.
Israel left this farm to his son, William.
He lived here for 63 years, being born here, Nov. 13, 1881.
He was a farmer and livestock raiser, using horses and mules for farm power.
William Beetison left this farm and home to his son, Dwight.
I, Dwight, also am a farmer and stock raiser.
I have one sister, Margaret Beetison Bockelman. I married Gladys Baldwin on April 4, 1935.
We moved here 34 years ago, being the third generation to live here. We have three children.
Son, Rolland, and his wife, Phyllis, have two daughters and one son.
Daughter, Sharon, and her husband, Jack White, have one son.
Son, Merlyn, and his wife, Sheri, have three sons.
We were honored in 1974 with the Pioneer Farm award
for 100 years of agriculture, and for living on the same farm.
The house is also in the Historical Register in Lincoln (NE) and Washington D.C.
We will leave this home to our youngest son. That will make the fourth generation.
Submitted by Dwight T. Beetison (circa 1983)
* * * * * * * *
NEW INFORMATION - posted January 30th, 2011
A HUGE thanks to AHS member, Virginia Wild
The following is from an article published July 23, 1995 in the OWH:
The OWH feature article (of July 23, 1995) reads as follows:
Pictured below are Merlyn Beetison, his wife Sheri & their 13 yr. old son, Colt Beetison - circa 1995
as written, 1995: "Four generations of the Beetison family have owned & occupied the house over the past 120 years" "Today, (Merlyn) Beetison" . . rearing the next generation in the historic house, which sits on about 10 acres"
Merlyn Beetison, great grandson of Israel Beetison, & his family moved into the historic Beetison Mansion,
as it is known now, in the mid-1980's, after his parents, Dwight & Gladys Beetison passed away.
Dwight & Gladys Beetison had the home placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
As you may have read in Dwight Beetison's 1983 very personal history (shown above)
"We were very honored in 1974 with the Pioneer Family award
for 100 years of agriculture, and for living on the same farm."
below, is the balance of the article from OWH, July 23, 1995:
Left: the Beetison's still use three wood-burning stoves, such as this one
for a backup to the the home's electric baseboard heating.
RENNOVATED KITCHCHEN, shown above: The Beetisons have remodeled
the home's kitchen,restoring its original 9 foot ceilings.
We are truly grateful to Virginia Wild, AHS Member, for providing a
copy of this important & historical memory of the Beetison Mansion.
We also want to acknowledge and thank Chris Olson & Jeff Bundy of the
Omaha World Herald for their work on this important historical article.
FINALLY, we would like to thank Merlyn Beetison & his family for providing this continuing story about
the Beetison Family & the Historic Beetison Mansion, a landmark since its construction in 1874-1875.
The Beetison Family sold the property, in 1999, to Boyer-Young, an Omaha developer,
who planned & have now built the Iron Horse development and golf course.
The Lincoln Journal Star staff, and others, wrote several articles about the development.
In order to make the development "work", B-Y negotiated with the City of Ashland for the extension of
water & sewer lines to the high-end homes that would be a needed part of that development project.
With grateful acknowledgement, we are including excerpts of those articles, to the publishers;
particularly to Al J. Laukaitis of the LJS for his JUL 21, 1999 article
& to Kendra Waltke of the LJS for her JUN 10, 2007 article.
Excerpts from Mr. Laukaitas' LJS 1999 article describe the unusual alliance of the
Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs & the Nebraska State Historical Society: " More than a century ago, American Indians called the locomotive an iron horse.
It was a disturbing sight: black smoke belching from a metal beast rolling across the Great Plains.
Today that same name is still causing trouble for American Indians.
But instead of a locomotive it's a $90 million luxury housing development
called Iron Horse steamrolling the east edge of Ashland. "
"Judi Morgan, the Indian Commission's executive director said, . . .
"From the maps that I've seen it looks like there ... would be strong affiliations with the Otoe and Pawnee tribes.
" A review of (NE State Historical) society records shows the Iron Horse tract also includes
the historic Israel Beetison House and visible wagon ruts of the Ox Bow Trail,
both listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The tract also is close to the Ashland site where archaeologists have found pottery shards, flint, tools
and other evidence of extensive American Indian occupation dating back to 1100.
Burial goods attributed to the Otoe and Pawnee tribes were repatriated from sites found near the Iron Horse tract ”
" Developer Tim Young with Boyer-Young of Omaha said . . "I've instructed the graders that if they do run into any
possible bones to stop and call me immediately." The Iron Horse subdivision will have 265 lots and an 18-hole golf course.
Lots are selling for $40,000 to $110,000. Homes will start at $250,000.
The subdivision is sandwiched between U.S. 6 and Nebraska 66 midway between Lincoln and Omaha. . ."
Regarding the preservation and restoration of the Beetison Mansion,
Developer Tim Young with Boyer-Young of Omaha said;
" Young said the three-story house is in "pretty bad condition" but has been
included in a large lot on the preliminary plat ("Phase III "), so it won't be disturbed. "
" Several people already have shown an interest in buying it. The house, which sits on a hill,
includes a cupola with a sweeping view of the Platte River Valley and the state Capitol, about 30 miles away. "
" It would compare favorably to many of the state's finest examples of that style including
the Thomas P. Kennard House in Lincoln," Puschendorf (of the NE State Historical Society)
said of the (Beetison) house built in the Italianate style. "
In the article written by Kendra Waltke of the LJS for her JUN 10, 2007;
" . . . the home known as the Israel Beetison House became part of the Iron Horse development,
and now upscale homes and an 18-hole golf course are nearby.
So someday the long wild grass growing up around it may be transformed
into a neat green lawn, and it may stand in a line of new homes.
“It will sit exactly where it needs to sit, on a platted lot.
We moved streets and rearranged our Phase III so it (the Beetison Mansion)
never needs to be moved,” said Mark Boyer of Boyer-Young, the Iron Horse developer.
About 60 people have expressed interest in buying it, he said.
An auction will be held to sell the house at some point, Boyer said.
In his mind, that’s the only fair way for the historic home to be sold.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind place,” he said. "
" . . . The house cannot be destroyed, moved or significantly altered without the city of Ashland’s approval. "
The developer (Boyer-Young) made that agreement when Iron Horse was platted.
(The City of Ashland NE granted platting in 1999)
" The auction will be held when utilities are connected to the house,
which will happen when work begins on Iron Horse Phase III . "
" That step is dependent on how fast the new homes sell ", Boyer said.
He said "the auction, when it happens, will be publicized. "
“We’ll let the major news outlets know,” he said.
* * * * * * * *
We, at AHS, are completing a very detailed history
of the Israel Beetison Mansion, review portions above ;
The Israel Beetison Mansion & home, built in 1874-1875,
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Israel Beetison Mansion is a TRUE GEM in Ashland's history.
As you have read (above), certain promises & public comments were made to the
City of Ashland by Boyer-Young - developers of the Iron Horse development & golf course,
during B-Y's quest for approval & platting of the project, including
the granting of sewer & water connections to the City of Ashland.
Those public promises, described above, were made some 12 years ago . .
and NOTHING has been done; no 'auction' or 'notice of auction' has occurred.
We would hope that our historical feature of this home will help motivate
people & donors to be sure that this home is PRESERVED & FULLY RESTORED
"SAVE THE BEETISON HOUSE" ! We invite your comments !
AHS now has FACEBOOK page
we invite you to "become a Friend"
& to share your comments, stories, 'historic moments' & discussions
AHS FACEBOOK link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashland-Historical-Society-Ashland-NE/147806081942594
BURLINGTON DEPOT . . . not exactly a home . . . however
the railroad was and is certainly an integral part of Ashland history
According to the article about the DENNIS DEAN House,
above, "the railroad came to Ashland in 1870"
Below are some pictures of the 'modern day' Burlington depot,
built in 1907 that was demolished in SEP of 2009
We are SEARCHING for more COLOR photos - exterior & interior ? ?
The interior had beautiful woodwork & marble-lined walls !
The pictures above came from the postcard collection, recently donated by Dick Harnsberger
The notation of 'NEW' on one of the photos is not dated - believed to be circa 1920s
Historical documents show that the depot was destroyed by fire & rebuilt twice
The pictures above are of the depot, circa 1920s, & the “gardens” on the south side of the tracks.
Notice the ‘billboards’ for traveling passengers to see - advertising the Hotel Fontenelle
in Omaha and the Hotel Lincoln in Lincoln, as they traveled East or West The “gardens” photo shows Mearl (Shirley) Squire and May Wills,
taken in the 1920s and is from Marie (Squire) Groenjes) collection
For more information > > see MARCH 2010 newlsetter
We have recently been blessed with a COLOR photo of the depot,
taken before its untimely demolition in September of 2009.
This photo was taken by Dave Darby of the Historic Highway US 6 Association
We gratefully acknowledge & thank Dave Darby for this contribution
Note that the Ashland Historical Society is now a member
of the Historic Highway US 6 Association
WILL YOU PLEASE ASSIST US ? ? ?
We are SEARCHING for more COLOR photos - exterior & interior ? ?
The interior had beautiful woodwork & marble-lined walls !
Do you have color photos of the Burlington Depot ? ?
We would appreciate your sharing them with the AHS- SFHPS
We will arrange to scan your treasured photo (not damaging it in any way)
We thank you for your support in preserving and 'telling' the History of Ashland NE
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