The seventh annual historic preservation awards banquet and ceremony were held on Monday at the Methodist church in Keosauqua.
Cosponsored by the Van Buren County Historic Preservation Commission and the Van Buren County Historical Society, the ceremony honored two individuals and the owners and stewards of six buildings for their significant activity in the preservation of our
architectural heritage.
Christie Daugherty was honored for her many years of diligent service in the historical society’s rehabilitation and programming of the 1845 Benjamin Franklin Pearson House and the log cabin and 1857 Ellis School moved to its site. Greg Jones, art educator and painter extraordinaire, was honored for his craftsmanship and in many cases ready volunteerism in the painting of numerous historical
properties as well as school classrooms and a playful wall mural that complements the remaining 19 th – century streetscape of downtown Keosauqua.
Two one-room schoolhouses and their owners and stewards received recognition. Gary and Susie Lee moved the 1855 Harriburg School #5 into Bentonsport and initiated restoration, followed by Greg and Sue Trudell, who completed the rehabilitation and repurposing of the schoolhouse into a retail store and fitting companion to the Bentonsport Historic District. In Birmingham, the Friends of Birmingham moved the 1857 Bonnett School to a site facing the city park and initiated a painstaking restoration to its historic appearance. Its iron and wood seats, slate blackboards and corner stove are a rare ensemble of survivors of an era long past but fondly remembered by many.
Classic wood barns are among the fastest disappearing but most significant components of the architectural heritage of rural communities. This year the historic preservation commission honored two barns and their owners, not for thorough-going restoration but for a stubborn devotion to keeping their old barns alive. Ralph and Jessie Caves have preserved the 1906 Roy Ratcliff Barn in Village Township in a farmstead as well known for its many years of coal mining as it is for its herds of beet cattle. Andrew and Courtney Lowery own the only substantial barn remaining within the original bounds of Keosauqua. Located in the Des Moines City division, its foundation likely dates to the late 19 th century, with the barn above showing the light framing of post-World War I construction.
Indian Lake City Park on the outskirts of Farmington was a CCC project from the mid-1930s, and its centerpiece is a limestone shelter house. Managers Nate and April Smith have renewed it to its original appearance, displaying once again the magnificent design and craftsmanship in masonry and wood for which the CCC is well known.
Paul and Pam Larson restored Bonneyview as close as feasible to its historic appearance by stripping off vinyl siding and metal roofing, replacing rotting siding and sills, and straightening skewed windows. Located in the Des Moines division of Keosauqua, the house dates to ca. 1840, with significant additions in 1856, 1906, and the post-World War II era.
The dinner and ceremony were well attended by ca. 70 people, who roundly applauded all of the award recipients. Their persistent efforts seldom reap financial rewards but are critical to the survival of significant parts of our county’s history.
Pic Captions
Harrisburg School #5 in its Bentonsport location
Bonnett School being moved to Birmingham
Roy Ratliff Barn
Barn in Des Moines City
Indian Lake City Park Shelter House
Bonneyview
