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HISTORIC
<br />PROPERTA
<br />FOR SALE
<br />One of the oldest a
<br />and most interesting
<br />Italianate farmhouses
<br />in Northern Indiana is
<br />presently available for sale. The structure
<br />is, architecturally, one of the county's
<br />finest jewels.
<br />The Eliakim Ashton family was among the
<br />very earliest to establish a farm along this his-
<br />toric highway in 1826. The important structures
<br />on this parcel, including the stone foundation of
<br />the bank barn, were mostly built between 1826
<br />and 1866. Joseph Ullery, Sr. owned this farm
<br />from 1838 to 1866, when he transferred it to his
<br />daughter, Barbara Ullery Farneman, and her
<br />husband, Joseph Farneman.
<br />It is possible, though not certain, that the
<br />present main house was built for the new cou-
<br />ple in 1866. However, this house has many char-
<br />acter defining features in common with the
<br />Stumpf House in Indianapolis, pictured in
<br />Indiana Houses of the 19th Century, (plate
<br />133), which was built in 1855. If this house was
<br />built before that, it may be the oldest pure
<br />Italianate American Style house in Indiana.
<br />The most significant resources at this site
<br />include: The magnificent main house, the for-
<br />mer milk house or summer kitchen, the
<br />remains of a bank barn and another animal
<br />shelter. Lesser significant resources include a
<br />secondary house and a garage, both of which
<br />are newer than the period of primary historic
<br />significance, but which are contributing struc-
<br />tures of historic significance. Both are believed
<br />to be over fifty years old. There is another
<br />garage on the property, as well, in the far back.
<br />Joseph Farneman died in 1884, and
<br />Barbara Farneman went to live with her son,
<br />Isaac Farneman, in South Bend, after 1890.
<br />She died in 1904. The 1895 Atlas shows the
<br />farm jointly owned by Isaac Farneman and
<br />Esther Farneman Stover, the children of
<br />Barbara and Joseph. The farm remained in the
<br />Farneman family until 1927. Subsequent own-
<br />ers were the Stanley A. Skrwranek family, and
<br />the Debra and Charles J. Nyers family.
<br />In about 1986, the wonderful prel War
<br />era bank barn was struck by light ping and
<br />burned to the foundation. While this was a sig-
<br />nificant loss to the County's heritage, the site
<br />of the barn is still of interest to the DNR
<br />Department of Archeology. It --is - our—under-
<br />standing. that..the_propa_sed pai ang-is-net -on—
<br />the site of the rn:
<br />_ �_TH
<br />NEED -TO�� RE
<br />ERENkto- � �-PR OP PARKNG???
<br />LEEPER PARK BRIDGE WORK SLATED F0Ir'04
<br />According to Indiana Department of Transportation plans, and a Certificate of
<br />Appropriateness granted to the IN -DOT by the Historic Preservation Commission on July 21,
<br />2003, the Leeper Park Bridge will receive restoration, repair, and beautification work in 200
<br />As many of you know, the Indiana Department of Transportation has been working on pl
<br />for rebuilding/restoration of the Leeper Park Bridge on Michigan Street since 1998, or earlier
<br />In past years, public meetings have been held, both by IN -DOT, and by HPC, and many things
<br />discussed, considered, or tentatively agreed regarding this project.
<br />IN -DOT submitted a formal Application for Certificate of Appropriateness to the Historic
<br />Preservation Commission in July, and hopes to begin work in 2004.
<br />The HPC and the IN -DOT were gratified by the insightful comments of concerned citizens
<br />who attended the July HPC meetings in order to speak and pose questions regarding IN -DOT
<br />plans both for the bridge, and for the areas immediately surrounding it. Issues of interest to the
<br />neighbors of Leeper Park included:
<br />(1) Environmental and aesthetic considerations for the riverbanks,
<br />(2) Paths and a footbridge to connect the two sides of Leeper Park underneath the bridge,
<br />(3) Use of Cobra -head overhead lights versus restoration of the original 8 decorative lamps
<br />on the bridge piers, and
<br />(4) Bridge sidewalk(s).
<br />The Indiana Department of Transportation has offered to restore four of the eight spectac-
<br />ular pyramidal lights originally on the bridge, provided that the City of South Bend, possibly
<br />with the assistance of private donors or of the County, will restore the other four. Discussions
<br />regarding that possibility are underway.
<br />MEMBERSHIP & STAFF UPDATE
<br />Former Historic Preservation Commission
<br />Director Rhonda Saunders, as many of you
<br />know, has moved back to her original home-
<br />town of Allendale, Michigan, near Grand
<br />Rapids. Her daughter and son are well, and
<br />so is she. She has recently been hired as the
<br />City of Grand Rapids' Historic Preservation
<br />Specialist. Friends and associates wishing to
<br />call or write to her may do so at:
<br />City of Grand Rapids
<br />Planning Department
<br />1120 Monroe Avenue, N.W.
<br />Grand Rapids, MI 49503
<br />Telephone: (616) 456-3159
<br />e-mail: rsaunder@ci.grandrapids.mi.us.
<br />HPC WELCOMES NEW STAFF.
<br />In May, the Historic Preservation Commission
<br />hired a new Assistant Director. Julie L.
<br />Schutte is a recent graduate of the University
<br />of Notre Dame, with a dual major in History
<br />and Art History/Architecture.
<br />NEW COMMISSION MEMBERS
<br />In the course of the past year, the City Council
<br />has appointed two new members, Virginia
<br />O'Hair and Lynn Patrick, to the Historic
<br />Preservation Commission, and the County
<br />Council has appointed one new member,
<br />Diane Wrobel-Mes.
<br />,Mrs. O'Hair has a long and distinguished
<br />record of volunteer service to the communi-
<br />ty, both individually, and through a variety of
<br />organizations, including the Progress Club,
<br />her political party, and her church. Plunging
<br />vigorously into the business of the Historic
<br />Preservation Commission, she is serving as
<br />Commission Secretary, and as a member of
<br />the Executive Committee, the Landmarks
<br />Committee, and the Southold Awards
<br />Committee. _
<br />Lvnn Patrick first became interested in
<br />issues of historic preservation when her father
<br />was one of the owners of the former Odd
<br />Fellows Building in downtown South Bend
<br />This eight -story building, similar to the
<br />remaining JM Studebaker (JMS) building, was
<br />demolished to make way for a less commodious
<br />and less historically significant four-story
<br />building. Her interest was heightened by her
<br />experience as a resident of the Edgewater
<br />Place Local Historic District. Lynn is serving
<br />on the Facade Easement Committee, the
<br />Southold Awards Committee, and the ad-hoc
<br />Riverbank Coordinating Committee of which
<br />she is chair. This committee attempts to
<br />coordinate the various erosion control, park
<br />beautification, and historic preservation
<br />measures in play for those segments of the
<br />St. Joseph River which include historically
<br />significant structures or landscape features.
<br />Diane Wrobel-Illes has lived much of
<br />her adult life in, fust, a schoolmaster's house
<br />built in the 1878, and, presently, the Old
<br />German Township Schoolhouse, built along
<br />with the schoolmaster's house, also in the
<br />1878. Her knowledge of restoration and
<br />preservation matters thus comes from direct
<br />hands-on experience with the repair and
<br />maintenance of her own home.
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