This Federal-style farmhouse was built in approximately 1846. Peter Blancjour was a merchant, jeweler, and watchmaker from Germany. He became one of the first mayors of Weston and served as Postmaster for many years. During a renovation in 1988, it was discovered the rafters and beams are mostly oak and walnut. Hidden inside an attic alcove was one of the original side panels to the front door, with its original glass intact. It was duplicated and the porch was restored to its original appearance, including the panel of windows over the front door. The door is original. There are two fireplaces in the home, one of which was restored in 1991. Under the kitchen is an old drying room with a few original meat hooks still in the rafters. The floor is early Weston brick and the walls are stone. There is a window with bars on it and the door and hardware are original. The home has walnut. The floor plan features a narrow center hall with a steep staircase with a 11 pressing" closet on the landing. The walls throughout the house are plaster, with horsehair added. The floors are original pine, which have been painted in the original color. On each side of the hall is a parlor. Each parlor has its own fireplace. The windows have twelve (12) panes, many are original glass. Beyond the parlors, there is a small room on each side. On the north side, the room is used for an office. On the south side there is a small dining room which exits to the country kitchen.
Upstairs, there is a large bedroom on each side
of the hall. Each room has low, sloped ceilings
and slanted tops of brick fireplaces. The brick
is slanted to come out at the point of the roof.
Built in 1843, just six years after the town's founding, this tiny cottage is one of the oldest homes still standing in Weston. Early photos of the house show a rock wall along the front that is currently in the process of being restored. The two anchor stones at the front of the walk were original step stones or carriage stones. The photo also shows a family of eleven people and a dog, occupants of the original two-room structure.
What are now a kitchen and two small side rooms
was, at one time, the back porch. In the early
decades of this century the porch was
incorporated into the house and "sleeping" porch
was added. Note the original glass in the
kitchen and on the back porch. Looking to the
southwest one can see Kansas.
This Federal-style home, Willow Bend, was built and named by J. B. Evans, a Kentucky entrepreneur and anti-slavery activist. The original brick portion had only three rooms; an entry, parlor, and kitchen/ sleeping quarters. When he became engaged, he added on the remainder of the home before being married here in 1850. The home features hand-made bricks, hand-blown glass panes, and pine woodwork, milled in Philadelphia and shipped by steamboat to Weston. Much of the hardware is hand-forged, signed and dated. Notice the bell pull to the right of the door, and the stained glass panels, which marked the earliest beginnings of the Victorian influence. The entry features original floors and a willow tree stencil. To the left, the original parlor has a walnut mantel, which was a backdrop for a cast iron "Parlor stove."
To the right of the entry is the old kitchen now
used as a living room. The back bedroom is
where the kitchen was moved in 1850. The
present-day kitchen was then a screened porch.
When the porch was enclosed, the original dry
sink was moved to its current position, and the
slanted porch ceiling was left as it was. The
cabinets were made of old icebox doors, complete
with original hardware.
This home was built shortly after 1910 by Egbert M. Hardesty, a local banker. This craftsman-style house has 50 windows. A historic architect noted the living and dining rooms are "true craftsman rooms." The rest of house is, in his words, "found architecture"...whatever they could find they used. No two doorways are the same height. The French doors appeared to be stock size, which were adapted to fit a larger opening. The door from the entry hall to the bedroom on the left is the only true craftsman-style door in the house. The door matches both the woodwork in the hall and in the bedroom although they have different woods (the interior side of the door has a veneer). The woodwork in the second bedroom predates the house. The "bull's-eye" style dates to the late 1800s while the small door with the surface mounted lock dates to the 1860s. The wardrobe style closet was added after the house was built.
The house was built without indoor plumbing
(there was a cistern pump on the back porch and
there is still an outhouse in the garage). When
a bathroom was added, it was located on the
second floor.
Built in 1847 of brick made on the site, the home is an early example of Federal-style architecture. It was the home of Joseph and Victoria Kurtz who came to Weston from Germany in 1848 and raised six children. He was a cooper by trade (a barrel maker) for the Royal Brewing Company.
The original structure included a company
parlor, family parlor, dining room, small
kitchen, bedroom and porch. In 1974 two new
wings were added. Included were a bedroom and
bath to the west side, a formal dining room with
large leaded and painted windows, a large
kitchen with fireplace to the north side and a
bath and utility room off the master bedroom.
There are a total of three fireplaces in the
house.
This home, built in 1896 by the late Dr. W.J.
Simpson, is a fine example of Victorian
architecture. The three-story building features
a unique Mansard roofline, dental fretwork and
limited trim.
This Federal-style house was built in 1846 by Lorenzo Dow Bird. The land had been purchased from the Trustees of the Town of Weston (among who was Ben Holladay). Elijah Cody also owned the property briefly.
The house originally was to be two rooms and a
hall, but before completion, a third room was
added. An interior brick wall is now exposed in
the renovated area. A cellar with dirt floors
and stone walls is under the first two rooms. In
later years a back porch was added, that
eventually was enclosed as a kitchen. At some
period, an exterior door in the cellar, opening
to the street side of the house, indicated there
may have been a business operating from the
cellar, connected with the river trade of those
days. The Missouri River was at the front door
of the house until the last flood that left the
river two miles away. There is a mooring ring
across the road, down the bank.
Although the exact date of the construction of this house is not known, it was built for the Clifton Winburn family around the turn of the century. At that time there seemed to be a period of prosperity which enabled and encouraged Mr. Winburn, who was a "gentleman farmer," as well as several others like him, to move their families to town and maintain their farms with tenants. Having a fairly large family, the Winburns chose to build this large 21/2-story wood-frame home with a wrap-around verandah, two parlors separated by pocket doors, formal dining room, five bedrooms and a nursery. Behind the house they had built a two-story washhouse-summer kitchen and a barn for the horses with an attached carriage house. The two-story building remains.
The house was sold to Chester and Rachel
Woodring about 1950 and is now occupied by its
third owners.
The two-story Greek Revival home was built in 1852 by Harvey Collier. The exterior walls are three-brick thick and the interior walls are two-brick thick with ten-foot ceilings. The most important features of the fine 1850s carpentership are the beveled woodwork, door and window trim. The original home was four rooms: two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs. The dining room, kitchen and porch were added after the original construction. The indoor shutters throughout the home were recently added. Most of the glass in the windows is original-notice the wavy appearance. The house was made into four apartments in the late 1930s. The present owners removed a wall at the end of the front hall, which opens into a sunroom, which was the original side porch. Behind the living room is the dining room with the only wood burning fireplace in the house-note the green mantel. Follow into the new kitchen, with its beautiful cherry wood, which has been designed to replicate what a kitchen might have looked like in the 1850s.
During the 1991 restoration the original wide
pine floors were discovered under existing oak
floors. After they were "taken-up," the solid
walnut joists were shored, some were replaced,
and the original pine floors were put back in
the library, halls, living room and upstairs
master bedroom. The stained glass window on the
upstairs landing was added to the home in the
1930s. The standing seam tin roof was added over
the original wood shingles many years ago. The
property has two large brick cisterns and a
thirty-foot deep hand-dug stone-lined well.
The abstract on this cottage-type house is dated May 1, 1846, and is on display as well as other documents from the 1800s. The original house with three rooms on the main level and three basement rooms, had three-brick thick walls on both the exterior and interior. In the late 1800s two rooms were added to the south. In the 1950s a porch-like shed to the north was removed and a bedroom and utility room were added using the original standing ridge tin roof. A bath off the kitchen was added in the 1960s and in 1974 a family room was added to the back of the kitchen. Most of the doors and woodwork are the originals and the door and window in the dining room and one bedroom have the painted woodwork. In the living room and one bedroom the wide woodwork of the later 1800s can be seen. The door sills are walnut-notice the one off the dining room. Some of the windows still have the original glass. Originally there were two fireplaces. The one in the dining room was framed in wood, which deteriorated and has been replaced by brick. The fireplace was in the basement where the cooking was done. It was removed when the furnace was installed.
All of the antique furniture in the home
belonged to either the Stultz or Schindler
families and some of it was made in Weston. The
shelves and handles on the hutch in the dining
room are made from a countertop from the old
Schindler grocery store in downtown Weston.
Someone related to the Stultz family has resided
in the house since 1920 and the Schindler's have
occupied it for 46 years.
The Benner House was built in 1898 by Mr. George Shawhan, owner of the Shawhan Distillery, known today as McCormick Distillery. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this lovely Victorian home is a fine example of steamboat Gothic architecture. In the 1900's the home was purchased by Mr. Charles Benner, a gentleman farmer, who preferred to live in the "city. " The home remained in the Benner family until 1986 when it was purchased by Ken and Karen West and converted into a bed and breakfast. The present owners, John and Julie Pasley, have continued with the traditions of the early 1900's. The home is beautifully decorated with antiques and turn-of-the-century pieces. Upon entering the home, one immediately steps back in time. The double wrap-around porches, gingerbread detail and large windows overlooking the verandas enhance the spaciousness of this lovely old home. Original hand-carved oak and beveled glass grace the front doorway along with brass lighting fixtures leading the way up the hand-carved oak staircase. To the right is the sitting room with a 1/2 bath. All the rooms have ten-foot ceilings, six-foot windows, oak woodwork and pine floors. To the left is the parlor with the original tile fireplace and gas logs that are dated 1902. The pump organ is dated 1911,and if one pumps hard enough, it works. The dining room is furnished with a beautiful Eastlake oak table and marble sideboard. The kitchen has oak cabinets with blue- stained glass panels. The original wainscoting has been used as a backslash. There are four guest rooms upstairs, all with private baths. Descending the staircase, note the dust catchers in the corners, the housekeeper certainly appreciates these. The hall bathroom on your right contains a beautiful claw-foot tub, pedestal sink and water closet. The back bedroom has an old white iron bed with a warm cozy quilt made by John's grandmother. The next bedroom has a lovely three-piece bedroom set made of chestnut and boasts the color pink. The front bedroom provides an overview of downtown Weston. Lending to the comfort of this cozy room is a yo-yo quilt and oak bedroom set. Across the hall, an unusual brass bed has become a favorite with guests. This room overlooks Main Street.
As you exit the house through the kitchen, the
beauty of this wonderful old home extends into
the backyard gardens, where a hot tub and deck
have been added. To the side of the home is a
beautiful water garden.
A symphony in Historic Green (or Williamsburg Green) would be aptly used to name this delightful 100-year-plus cottage as the color is used throughout the interior, exterior and the garage. Notice to the right near the east wall, a very, very, old brick walk. A small version is along side the garage. Paneling is knotty pine with fruitwood finish. Historic green burlap papers the upper part. A ceiling-high hall tree with umbrella stand near the door commands immediate attention of walnut lovers. A Lincoln desk, Colonial flocked paper and more lamps are commanding features of the first bedroom. The bathroom reflects the same respect for antiques, tempered with comfort that marks the rest of this home. Beyond it is a typically Colonial bedroom with five pieces of massive walnut bedroom furniture.
The Quinleys purchased this home over 50 years
ago. They did all the work on the house
themselves over a period of 14 years.
This charming ivy-covered Federal Style Cottage, one of the earliest homes in Weston, was built by Goodlander Developing Firm in 1844. On a foundation of native limestone, the original four-room home has walls three to four bricks thick, oak peg flooring and wide pine painted woodwork trimming on windows and doors. Fireplaces in both downstairs rooms were used for cooking and heating. The stairway banister was made by hand using native Missouri walnut. The stairs lead to two bedrooms. The bedroom to the left was the parlor. The light fixtures in this room as well as throughout the home were originally gas, and have been converted to electricity.
Restoration began in 1945 and continued later
with the addition of a large country kitchen
done in Williamsburg manner using rough-hewn
walnut beams, quarry tile flooring, and shutters
throughout. The root cellar was brought into the
kitchen by adding stairs and wrought iron gates.
Although the history of the house is still being researched, it is known locally as the Russell house for the Weston family who lived there for over 40 years. During restoration, a low voltage wiring system was discovered between the two floors and in the walls. It was installed as part of a radio antenna system by Scott Russell who had learned radio electronics while in the service. Many older Weston residents heard the "Talking box" for the first time in the upstairs hall. The original structure, circa 1850, is a one and one-half story brick southern style "dog-run" house with front and back doors on each end of a center hall. There was a large room on each side of the center hallway and two attic-style bedrooms on the second floor. This original structure has three-brick thick walls and the original wood shingle roof still remains underneath the present standing seam metal roof. Two very large walnut logs run the length of the house atop the front and back walls, providing support for the roof. The logs are held in place by iron rods, which run through the chimneys and window frames on the second floor.
The formal parlor on the right, now the dining
room, was heated by a stove of the period and
cooled by cross ventilation from the twin sets
of windows at the front and rear of the house. A
kitchen was added to the rear of the common room
shortly after the house was built. It now serves
as a study. A three-room addition, including an
upstairs master bedroom with large windows
overlooking the garden, was added in the 1890s.
The little settlers' cottage moved into, and
became more livable with the addition of a large
family living area.
LINCOLN'S OTHER MARY'S HOUSE The town house of Abraham Lincoln's "other Mary," this five room brick Federal-style cottage was built in 1846. Ascending the stairway from the street, the visitor may observe a near perfect example of an original dry-laid stone wall. One enters the anteroom to be greeted by an original Currier and Ives print of Lincoln. In effect, our sixteenth president has been reunited with the second love of his life, that being Mary Owens of Greene County, Kentucky, whom Lincoln encountered when an aspiring lawyer in Springfield, Illinois in 1836. An ardent courtship ensued. Mary spurned his numerous marriage proposals and ultimately both married other people. The final years of Mary Owens Vineyard were spent in this house, where she died in 1877. Left of the anteroom is the sitting room, replete with pine beam drop ceiling and an oak floor, both improvements made during the 1940s. The far wall is graced with a white granite and marble fireplace over which presides an imposing brass eagle. The remodeled master bedroom has the original pine floor, which is 146 years old. The ten-foot high ceiling and walls have been repaneled, and an antique brass chandelier lights a room largely furnished with antique furniture. South of the master bedroom is the guest bedroom which has been converted into a den. Passing through a narrow corridor from the den, one enters the dining room.
The many articles of Americana and
Inter-Americana contained in "Lincoln's Other
Mary's House" reflect the eclectic tastes of the
present owner, and come from the four corners of
the United States and distant lands through
which he has been privileged to travel.
This pre-Civil war home, built between 1847 and 1850, was bought by Norma and Jim Stephen in November, 1974. The house is built of soft brick thought to be kilned nearby or on the site. Animal hair is found mixed in the mortar and plaster. Soft brick was usually painted soon after the building was completed to protect it from the elements. The walls are three-brick thick from the foundation to the second floor and then two-brick thick to the roof. A center wall of three-brick goes through the living-dining room and the kitchen. Following the removal of the old plaster, the brick wall can now be seen in the kitchen. Walls running the opposite direction through the hall and kitchen are wood studs with lath and plaster. Brick arches over the front first floor windows add to the strength of the house. The windows on the first floor are angled on the sides for the purpose of admitting more light. The oak shutters on the bay window were found in the rafters of the carriage house, repaired and put in the original location. The Stephens found the walnut staircase with many coats of paint of which the first coat was buttermilk paint. It was completely dismantled, the balusters numbered, and taken to Platte City, Missouri for paint removal via the dipping method into a hot chemical tank. When the staircase was refinished and reassembled, a time capsule was put into the newel post for the next "restorer" to discover. The floor joists under the house are roughhewed walnut, just as they came from the sawmill, and measured 2 " x 8" x 12'. All of the beams or lintels over the doors and windows are of rough sawed oak. They, too, are visible in the kitchen. There is no basement or crawl space. In order to install copper tubing to carry hot water for the heating system, the kitchen floor was removed. The floor was pine, tongue and grooved, and some of the boards were stenciled on the back "Colley & Bickford, Ft. '11' Worth." A piece of that flooring hangs on the kitchen wall along with an old knife and fork found under the floor. There are two fireplaces built within the walls, which protrude neither inside, nor outside. Since oak and walnut are the native lumbers of this area, the pine woodwork between the living-dining room area was probably shipped from another area presumably by river from the East.
At one time there were three cisterns for water
storage at the rear of the house near the fruit
cellar.
This former Methodist Church parsonage was built in 1847. The original builder has not been established, however, the Platte County records indicate E.C. and Suzanne Ohlhausen deeded the property to the Methodist Church in 1877 and it remained their parsonage for over 75 years
The house is of Federal-style construction with
three-brick thick walls, which extend down to
bedrock. The first floor has eight-foot high
ceilings and the second level has ten-foot high
ceilings. The two flanking chimneys accommodate
four fireplaces, three of which are functional.
Hand-hewn wall rafters, eight-inch square,
support the metal standing seam roof. Hand-hewn
beams and an exposed interior brick wall are
present in the kitchen. With the exception of
the enclosed second story back porch, there have
been no external alterations. The house has nine
rooms, five on the first floor, and four on the
second floor. The two smaller rooms on the
second floor were originally designed and used
as servant quarters.
County abstract records show this lovely home to have been built in 1845. The home is of the later Federal period preceding Victorian architecture. A key design element is the window casement, which shows a temple effect. Floors are of wider pine beams with the first floor covered with an oak veneer, popular in home decorating at the turn of the century It is believed the first rooms were the first floor living room, dining room, library and large upstairs bedroom identical to the living room. The house was extended to the west through the additions of three smaller bedrooms, two upstairs and one downstairs. The early kitchen was in the basement or the lower floor. The existence of a dumb-waiter indicates meals were hoisted up to the main dining room. The three fireplaces in the house are intact and only altered by the addition of gas jets, which can be removed for use of coal or wood. Radiators were obviously added later for uniform heat.
Certain closets have been removed in the house
to restore the rooms to their natural symmetry.
Electrified gas chandeliers are used upstairs. A
working kerosene chandelier is in the dining
room. These are the only major alterations that
have been made. Fortunately the home was well
maintained in its 147-year-old history and
neither seriously divided or altered.
Built in 1906, by William Calvert, this three-story, adapted four- square home was considered a retirement home in the "city. " Mr. Calvert was a polished gentleman farmer and an outspoken Democrat. He and his wife, Nuts Calvert, raised three children, Lewis Cass, Fannie and William George. Lewis Cass would go on to become one of Weston's most noted doctors. He continued his practice into the 1950's.
In 1936, President Harry S. Truman spent the
night in what is now the dining room. Mr. Truman
was in Weston to support the local school
superintendent in his campaign for the county
office.
In 1846, this land was purchased by W.G. Noble, an early merchant and one of Weston's original City Fathers. The land was granted by President Polk with a purchase price of $5.00. In 1848 he brought his bride to Weston and built this lovely home. In the late 1870's it was purchased by Henry C. Turner. When he passed away in 1912, his wife, Missouri Tennessee Turner, inherited the property. It remained in the Turner family for many years and was later purchased by Fred and Ruth Lindsey Lindemeyct. They resided in the home until Ruth's death in 1972. Following "Mr. Fred's" death the home was purchased by their great-niece. The present owners are only the fourth family to own the property since its construction in 1848. The original Federal-style, two-story house was built with the front facing the Missouri Rivet to the southwest. The original front porch has been remodeled and is presently being used as sunroom. The back porch was enlarged and is now a second bathroom and utility room. Sidewalks lead the way from either porch to the "summer kitchen." It remains in its original state to the west of the house. The original inset windows of the structure contain many hand-blown glass cuts. The ceiling and floor braces ate 2x8 inch hand-hewn ash. The walls are four-brick thick and were made in the brick factory in Weston.
In the early 1870's the front portion of the
home, lacing the street, containing the present
living room, master bedroom and dressing roam
were added on as a "parlor" and living room
being divided by French doors. The two front
doors are original to the structure with the
exception of the leaded windows crafted by a
local glass smith.
Built in 1843, this Greek Revival cottage, at 633 Main Street, has been owned by several of Weston's notable families. Early on the home was owned by Lorenzo Dow Bird. one of the town's first attorneys and an original city father. For more than 61 years it was home to the Kemmerer family. "Miss Ruse" Kemmerer was a favorite schoolteacher and a noted musician. Fashioned of rock, hand-hewn Missouri walnut logs and clap- board siding, the simple saltbox is distinguished by an expansive columnar porch and a multi-paned, transom entryway. Anchor stones at the front walk were original carriage stepping stones. Originally designed in the "dog trot" style a center hall running from front to back with rooms on either side reveals the periodic updates of the families who resided here. The Greek Revival window and door millwork adds a classic touch to the formal living areas.
The study, kitchen and a small bedroom were
reclaimed from the open porch that extended the
full length of the house. The floors of the
porch, which originally sloped to encourage
drainage from rain and snow, remain as reminders
of this long-ago configuration.
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