A New Frontier

“Space: The final frontier” -- that’s what my generation of Iowans grew up believing, and our own Iowa hero, Captain James T. Kirk, made it seem within reach. But it’s not that long ago that Iowa itself was the frontier. And our historic landmark, the Leander Reeve House, known locally as The Old Stone House, continues to silently testify to this fact.

What must Mrs. Reeve have thought when her husband announced that he’d be joining his brother homesteading in the new state of Iowa? Surely she’d heard the stories and read the letters from those who had already settled here. She knew many women were living in dug-out shelters and sod homes – and many men were living “rough” with no permanent shelter at all. In an era where women still had few rights, her refusal to follow him to Iowa must have set the tongues a-waggin’. But stay in Ohio she did – until her husband built her “a proper house.”

The home Leander built for his wife was the first permanent structure in Franklin County. The Old Stone House is a two-story structure with seven rooms, complete with a full basement. It has two bedrooms on the second floor and a pantry just off the kitchen. It is approximately 26' x 32'. The foundation and exterior walls are of rubble limestone. The front gable roof has a shallow pitch, and narrow wooden cornices. A single chimney is centered on the roof ridge.

If love is something you do, Leander must have loved his wife. Can you imagine how many loads of limestone rubble had to be dug from the bed of Maynes Creek? Yes, it is nearby, but Leander lacked the benefit of a power shovel, a gravel conveyer and a 5 ton truck. The walnut timbers were harvested from Maynes Grove and also had to be moved to the building site.

I once lived in an old house that was built on walnut logs partially dug into the ground. They were starting to disintegrate when I was renting there, and the owner eventually just tore down the house. So please understand what a gift that wonderful full basement was. And remember that it had to be dug by hand. No concrete forms or cinder blocks in 1854 Franklin County, so including a basement meant about a third more limestone; and a third more trips to the creek were needed than would have been required without it, plus extra timbers and supports.

Yes, the Old Stone House was built with love and for a purpose. The $60,000 restoration project being undertaken by the Franklin County Historical Society means it will continue to be loved, and the appointment of a committee to champion its cause means it will once again have a purpose. It might be too early to talk about that purpose, but let me say this – we want it to be a living, working landmark, not a dusty pile of old stones. We want it to be a community resource too – the space for family gatherings, community picnics, workshops and events – the frontier of Franklin County remembered and celebrated.

Socome to our frontier. Come to the Villages of Franklin County. Stay for a little or stay for a lot. And find a slice of Americana you thought only still existed in your dreams. It's no dream. Visit and see memories come alive: The Villages of Franklin County, Iowa.

- Keri Holmes