Julien's Journal May 2016 (Volume 41, Number 5) | Page 26

cal systems. Bill even lowered the ceiling in
the hallway to add ductwork for central air
conditioning so the window units could be
eliminated.
Much of the woodwork on the second
floor was gone. “I bought a bunch of wood
from another home – doors and all the
woodwork that was salvaged, so I was
able to reconstruct all the things that were
missing upstairs,” said Bill. “All the small
woodwork in the master bedroom was
made by my grandfather – a stool, a chest,
a marble game, a tie rack. He carved a
bunch of things like the lamps. He worked
for Flexsteel.”
Another large bedroom occupies the third
floor of the home along with an attic area
that once held a 300 gallon, lead-lined water tank used to collect water from the roof.
“That was used for the grey water,” said Bill.
“They would have had three faucets – hot,
cold, and grey water. The grey water was
mainly for washing hands, washing clothes,
doing dishes. There’s a lot of homes in
Dubuque that were like that.”
Also stored in the attic are pieces of plaster Bill salvaged from the original laundry

room. “Edward Buettell and his wife signed
this in 1910,” said Bill, pointing to faint
pencil lines etched onto chunks of plaster.
“In 1947, they remodeled that room. John
and Sue (these were neighbors) and Tom
Buettell signed their names on the wall and
dated it right next to the original signatures
from 1910.”

Although he admits he still has several projects left to do on his home renovation, he
said, “I’ve always wanted to put the house
on the [Old House Enthusiasts] tour. This is
the year for it.” ❖

When asked if he would ever do another
home restoration, Bill said, “Yes. This is
what I like to do. I enjoy restoring things,
and I like to work on things and figure
out how to do things – like steam bending
wood. I’d never done that before.” Bill used
steam to bend wood for the round part of
the porch and the woodwork around the
window on the roof.

The Dubuque Old House Enthusiasts (OHE) is a non-profit group organized in 1985 to promote historic
preservation, conservation, education, and awareness of Dubuque’s
historic homes, businesses, and public
buildings.

What’s the best part about living in a
historic home? “I like the history and a lot
of people are interested in coming and
visiting,” said Bill. “The great-great granddaughter [of the Buettell family] came back.
She was driving around the block one day
when I was working on the house. She gave
me some old photos of the house.”
Bill enjoys meeting people, and he enjoys
showing them around his renovated home.

THE OLD HOUSE ENTHUSIASTS

Each May, the OHE sponsors the
Old House Tour in conjunction with
DubuqueFest. Proceeds from the tour
support the group’s grant program as
well as educational materials. Over the
past 30 years, OHE has given away well
over $100,000 in grants and stipends to
organizations and homeowners to help
fund costly restorations and renovations and to educate the public on the
importance of historic preservation.

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According to Tour Coordinator Kaylea
Schwendinger, “Each historical structure is a unique ‘footprint,’ left behind
by passionate, hardworking craftsmen. They connect us with the past. If
our treasures are erased, part of our
irreplaceable culture dissolves with
them. We must hold on to them, and be
advocates for our future generations.”

Runde Ford
Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

Help the OHE “keep the best of the past
alive” by supporting the Old House Tour,
May 21 and 22, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Runde Chevrolet
Runde Chevrolet Buick GMC

For more information, visit www.DbqOHE.org.

For Every
Tradition

FUNERAL HOMES
and Cremation Service

Dubuque, IA

563 582-7221

Jim and Sharon Schneider
3860 Asbury Road
22  ❖  Julien’s Journal  ❖  May 2016

1640 Main Street