Restoring Jackson history one timber at a time

Editor's note: The following story has been edited to correct the first name of the man who brought the first piano to Cape Girardeau County. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

The Frizel-Welling Home in Jackson is a two-story, historical reminder of the early 1800s in Jackson.

Under the wing of owner Steve Ford, there is a restoration effort to return the building at 209 West Main St. to its original beauty. Former Jackson mayor Barbara Lohr said the property will be turned into a museum.

"They're getting it ready for restoration," Lohr said. "I haven't seen the inside of it yet. It needed a lot of work, but it's history."

Of notoriety, the home was the first in Jackson to have electricity, served as the first public library and also housed the first piano brought to Cape County, according to Lohr.

"That piano was bought by George Frederick Bollinger, from the Bollinger Mill, and he purchased it for his daughter, Sarah," Lohr said.

According to Lohr, Ford purchased the property in 2013 "and he saved it."

"One of the local churches planned to purchase it and tear it down for a parking lot," Lohr said. "And to save some other houses, he also purchased the Rock House, which is the first home built in Jackson. It's just a fantastic, very unique place to have. And we do need to save it."

Ford said the house is timber-frame constructed, and for that reason over the years it has endured some deterioration.

"There's been termite activity, so some of the major timbers need to be replaced and restructured," Ford said. "The number one thing we're working on right now is just structurally stabilizing the foundation and the major structural elements of the property. So there's been a lot of timber bracing and timber replacing."

The next step, according to Ford, will be to rehabilitate the property's stone masonry.

"There's a major chimney that was part of the original kitchen," Ford said. "There's a plan to replace that chimney, and once that structural work is done, then obviously the work begins on the interior, and that's just doing whatever needs to be done on the finishes inside."

Ford said it's going to take time and "quite a bit of work" to get the home restored back to its original condition. And as of right now, he said no one is allowed inside due to safety and security concerns.

Ford expects the entire restoration to take at least four years to complete.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632

Pertinent address:

209 West Main St.

Jackson, Missouri 63755