JCHPC shares results of historic properties

     After a year and a half of research and travel, the Jones County Historic Preservation Commission invited the public to an open house on July 15 to unveil the results of a historic survey of rural Jones County properties.

     The reconnaissance survey was facilitated by Leah Rogers, architectural historian and archaeologist with Tallgrass Archaeology, LLC. The JCHPC would not have been able to conduct the countywide survey had it not been for a statewide CLG (Certified Local Government) grant to fund the project.

     The work of physically visiting every township in Jones County, inspecting historic properties, and photographing each structure was done by Rogers, the JCHPC members, and several volunteers.

     The results outline numerous significant rural properties and sites throughout the county.

     “We drove on every road in the county that we could,” prefaced Rogers of the travel involved. “Some sites you couldn’t see from the road.”

     The group worked with the county assessor to help create a searchable database of the historic sites. They will also be given GIS coordinates and recorded with the USGS (United States Geological Survey), particularly the unidentified pioneer cemeteries that were found.

     Rogers said it took “a good, long day” to visit each township.

Cass Township

     Some of the historic significant properties/sites found in Cass included:

     • A well-preserved stone barn

     • The Allan L. Fairbank house

     • Notable old school houses still standing

     “These are the last of the one-room school houses,” said Rogers.

     • Some log cabins/homes that have since been covered or encapsulated into newer houses

     • A pioneer cemetery (Clark Cemetery) that has not been recorded on any maps. This cemetery contains a single grave, that of Jane Clark who died at 15 years of age in 1946. The grave was found on the “Troy Farm.”

     “It’s important we get this recorded on the state records so people will know there’s a burial there,” explained Rogers.

Castle Grove

     • Former rural churches

     • Lots of Gothic-arch barns with stone foundations, likely built from the 1920s to ‘50s

Clay Township

     • The last homestead of county folk musician “Ozark Sally” is located in Clay Township. Her house is now part of the Jones County Conservation wildlife area. Rogers said the house is no longer standing, but the foundation remains.

Fairview Township

     • A cemetery containing the burials of members of the Forest Chapel Church

     • The Fairview Bed & Breakfast, the original Peet home, that was built in 1888

     • Rogers said they recorded several archaeological sites, including that of an old stagecoach house on Fairview Road, as well a state fish hatchery northwest of Anamosa. “it was used as a dwelling after the hatchery closed,” she said.

Greenfield Township

     • They recorded two pioneer cemeteries

     • Rogers said they found several notable homes and farmsteads that stand on their own as unique sites.

Hale Township

     • A stone schoolhouse, much of it in ruin

     • A Victorian-style house on the edge of Hale

     • A stone house that was built in 1860

     • A stone foundation on Jungletown Road. “There is not a lot of history known about this foundation,” reported Rogers.

Jackson Township

     • They recorded two pioneer cemeteries, one with just a single burial

     • A couple of old schoolhouses that have since been relocated and made into other buildings

Lovell Township

     • A 1920s Gothic arch barn with a stone foundation on the Peters’ farmstead. It was built by the Prull brothers who lived in Langworthy at the time.

     • An historic barn that was moved to the Norm Zimmerman property, which is now used as an event center. Rogers said this barn was also built by the Prull brothers.

     • Several older houses with arched windows, decorated eaves, and Gothic-style windows.

Madison Township

     • An L-shaped barn that was known as the “green barn” because of its color. Rogers reported this barn was well-cared for, despite the adjacent house, which is in a state of collapse.

     • The Madison village cemetery, which is not on the USGS map.

Oxford Township

     • An Italian villa brick house that was known as the Carter-J. Lasack mansion. Rogers said the original mansion was much larger than it is today, with half having been moved to another property.

     “The intention was to turn it into a hotel on the railroad,” said Rogers. However, the impending railroad was never extended to the area.

     The Lasack family still owns the property today, as well as the property containing the rest of the home.

     “It’s a really interesting property,” commented Rogers.

Richland Township

     • The Richland School, which has been covered by stucco

     • A pioneer cemetery that is overgrown. Rogers said despite the fence that encompasses the apparent cemetery, she’s not sure on the exact number of burials, or whether the fence outlines the entire property

Rome Township

     • A rare Pennsylvania-style barn. Rogers said this is the only barn of its kind left standing in Jones County today, with half of the structure missing.

     “It’s in a state of collapse,” she said.

     • Benischek homestead, a 1930s livestock farm.

     “This site needed a lot more research to understand its history,” Rogers said.

     • The Green Center church and school

Scotch Grove Township

     • A stone cabin that is now used as a shed/garage

Washington Township

     • The Temple Hill and St. Peter Church, which Rogers said is the centerpiece of the township, built in 1866.

     “This replaced an earlier church the burned to the ground,” said Rogers.

Wayne Township

     • The Batchelder brick house that has since been painted over, which has ties to the Underground Railroad.

     • Two Italian-style homes

Wyoming Township

     • The E.M. Franks house that was built in 1967 is still standing today. It’s a Greek-revival-style house.

     “It’s been modified a bit, but it’s still recognizable,” reported Rogers.

     Based on the results, Rogers said, the JCHPC can assist property owners in getting the sites listed and recorded on the National Register of Historic Places, if they wish to do so.

     She said there are also numerous funding sources available, as long as the state designates funding, to assist owners in rehabbing their properties.