Parkersburg Historical Home

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

One of the places I had the most fun visiting with Yai this August is the historical home in Parkersburg, Iowa, built in 1895.  The home is open Memorial Day through Labor Day on Sundays 1:00-3:00 p.m. and once a year serves as a haunted house for the Rotary Club.  Admission for a guided tour is only about $3 per person, if I recall correctly.
 Upon entering, we were greeted by a couple very nice ladies, Kate Durbin and Chelsea.  Kate, who gave us our tour, was full of interesting information.  Her love for history was obvious, and her ebullient personality was contagious.

The first floor and part of the upstairs have been restored to look like a period home.  However, part of the upstairs was used as a community center for a time. Walls were taken out to make one big room.  Since this would have been difficult to restore, the historical society decided to embrace that era of the home's history as well.  The former community center serves as a type of museum within the home.

The restored rooms reminded me of Montauk, Governor Larrabee's 1874 mansion (which I visited last year).
The parlor is home to an organ, a couple dulcimers, and a violin.  Kate mentioned they had considered procuring a grand piano, but hadn't been given one yet.

Apparently in days of yore, people entertained themselves by playing musical instruments and reading magazines.  In 1902, a year-long subscription to The Cosmopolitan cost $1.00, or you could buy one edition for ten cents.  On the organ are Pentecostal Hymns and Bentley's Dollar Method for the Parlor Organ.
This 7,600 square-foot mansion was built by Charles and Mary Wolf.  Charles Wolf was a wealthy banker and owned over 4000 acres.  Before building the house he built a barn (no longer standing), with nine stalls, a buggy room, and an office, topped with a cupola.  There even was an underground tunnel/passageway from the house to the barn!  

Unfortunately, by the time Charles Wolf died in 1921, his estate was insolvent due to the post-war economic downturn.  By 1926, Mrs. Wolf was forced to auction the home and their belongings to pay creditors.
Gus and Louise Pfeiffer, wealthy philanthropists retired from the pharmaceutical industry, bought the home, and a few years later donated it to the city of Parkersburg.

Pauline Pfeiffer, also a Parkersburg native and niece to Gus and Louise, was Ernest Hemingway's second wife.  It is to her Uncle Gus Pfeiffer that Hemingway's book A Farewell to Arms is dedicated.

The Parkersburg historical society has worked on restoring the home since the 1970s, and continues to make improvements.  Since most of the original furnishings were sold in the 1926 auction, most items inside the home are donated.  There is plenty of beautiful fine china, including the tea cups shown below.
Stained glass windows from a local church that was demolished are on display in a few rooms.  Manikins throughout the house flaunt period dress.

The most interesting thing I noted in the kitchen area was the ice box.  On one side of the wall, blocks of ice were loaded in by a pulley.  On the other side is a door, which one would imagine would lead to a closet.  Instead, the shelves inside served as a refrigerator.  
Also in the kitchen is a cast iron stove, old laundry-cleaning equipment, and a sad iron.  The dining room (above left) has its own fireplace.
The woodwork throughout the house is magnificent.  Kate pointed out that the entry-way is especially majestic because it was important to make a good impression when receiving guests.

The stairway is right by the entrance, and depicts the grandeur of this part of the house nicely.  
How would you like artwork created from hair of your family members?  The flower picture above was created in the 1880s or 90s by Mrs. Anna Poppens from her family members' hair.  It is one of two human-hair art pieces displayed in the home.

Upstairs we enjoyed the museum area.  Newspaper clippings tell of the home's history, and there are photos of the Wolfs and Pfeiffers.  There are also numerous items of historic significance to the community.
A smaller room to the side displays old school trophies, uniforms, and senior photos.  The evolution of senior photos over more than a hundred years is amazing.  In 1903, everyone appeared to be dressed for a wedding!
The room above left was Mr. Wolf's office.  The historical society wasn't sure what to do with the little room on the right.  They considered using it as a sewing room, but decided it would more likely have been intended as a nursery--although the Wolfs never had children. 
Kate Durbin showed me how the old Singer sewing machine would have been used.   

We went up a steep flight of stairs to the third floor.  This area was designed to serve as servants' quarters.  The Wolfs only had one maid however, and she lived nearby; so she didn't need the accommodations.
I was absolutely delighted when Kate agreed to take me up one more set of stairs to the turret!  She told me Mr. Wolf used to go up there to look over his fields to make sure everything was planted and cultivated as he directed.  
The Parkersburg Historic Home is fascinating and beautiful, and Kate Durbin is a wonderful docent.  Her vivacity helps bring history to life.  If you're ever in Parkersburg on a summer Sunday afternoon, be sure to stop by.  Tours are also available by appointment.  Visit the Parkersburg Historical Society on Facebook for more information.

41 comments:

  1. Really beautiful, Bethany!!! I really enjoyed this tour, and all the vintage items as well! Thank you so much for sharing. :)

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  2. Wow! This place is amazing and your first photo of it would serve well for one of the haunted house weekends!
    I love seeing the styles and items of these old homes - thanks so much for sharing!

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  3. Hello Dear Bethane!

    Great historic place. I am delighted.
    Your relationship is, as usual, excellent. Thank you, I could see it.
    Greetings.

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  4. Wow! What a lovely place! So thankful you were able to enjoy this, Bethany. Sending you love and blessings this beautiful fall day!

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    1. Blessings to you as well, Cheryl! Hope you are enjoying a great weekend.

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  5. Oh my goodness, that is one fantastic house. Wow!! I would get lost in there. : )
    Terrific photos of the whole place.

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  6. We really enjoy visiting old homes. This is a beauty and I would love to see it in person. I've heard of hair art - very unusual!

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    1. Indeed. I was surprised to hear the art was made of hair.

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  7. My grandmother was the maid here. She started working for the Wolfs' when she was 10.

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    1. Oh wow! She started pretty young. How neat that you have such a personal connection to the home. I'm sure you could tell us many fascinating stories your grandmother told you about working there.

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  8. What a beautiful, unique place to visit! It looks like you had a fun tour. I was so excited to see the beautiful dulcimers! :D The human hair artwork is very interesting but I'm not sure I would want one like it. ;)

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    1. I was thinking of you when I posted the dulcimer photos! Perhaps you could post some of your dulcimer-playing on your blog sometime.

      Agreed on the hair artwork.

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  9. It is a very beautiful place, Bethany ♥

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  10. As usual, Bethany, you described this beautiful home with detail that makes it so interesting and encourages one to visit!!! Great job!

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    1. Thanks Kathleen! There are so many places of interest just in our little area!

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  11. Such a grand house! You wouldn't happen to know if that underground passage still exists? Because if it does....I'll be packing my bags for a visit!

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    1. Unfortunately the passage caved in with time. I think she said something about workers finding a part of it while working on a road or construction...but I don't recall exactly.

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  12. This was a great tour! What an amazing place to visit and explore.

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  13. That place is amazing! What a sad story about the auction, though. I wonder what happened to the family after that.

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    1. Mrs. Wolf lived elsewhere until her death (and they had no children).

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  14. My hubby and I went through this several yeas ago just by chance. It was a wonderful place. xo Diana

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  15. Wowww This place looks so nice. I love exploring such places. Thanks for sharing, dear Beth!

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  16. OH I love touring pieces of the past like this Bethany! Such lovely photos and information. The home does have beautiful windows and amazing woodwork! I'm not sure what I think about the artwork made from human hair though? Although - it just looked like a pretty botanical so not that bad I guess. ;)

    Sorry I've been behind visiting. I've had a horrible cold I can't seem to kick -even yet - but I'm finally feeling a bit better. Sending healthy thoughts! xoxo

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    1. Hope you soon are completely recovered, Carrie! Colds are no fun.

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  17. Wow.... like how the interior is so well maintained.

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  18. Hi Bethany, There is a lot to enjoy in your photos of the Wolf’s home. You won’t be surprised that one of my favorite things is the shortwave receiver. I couldn’t quite see the brand name on that radio. I don’t think I’ve seen one exactly like it. Of course, lots of other neat old stuff. The schedule for opening up the home sounds like something I would come up with … Sundays 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Those are good hours! :-) On road trips this is the kind of place I’d say to myself, should stop and take a look. Thank you for really doing it and sharing your photos!

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    1. The receiver is a Grebe Radio...I thought you might notice it. :) The historical home was a great place to visit.

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  19. 3 bucks. Wow. What a deal.

    I love, love, love the photo with the specs.

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    1. Glad you like it! Agreed on the admission fee being awesome! Just think, I spent $3 on just one of those KIND bars at the tournament!

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  20. Bethany, I was just reading over some of the comments that were posted back in 2016 when you came through and did you wonderful tour. The house has changed sooo much in just 3 years! Nearly all of the spaces have been remodeled or changed! You should come and do another tour for our 125th celebration in August!

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    1. I've been following you guys on Facebook. There have been some lovely additions! Thanks so much for the invitation.

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