Feldhaus House on Groh Street at the corner of Buffalo Road in Lawrenceburg, TN

Written by Kathleen Sudduth Niedergeses, 1994

When Henry Feldhaus, Jr. and family moved to Lawrenceburg, they rented the old Martin Lithard house from Mr. and Mrs. Frietch.   This house was located on lot 57 in the German Addition.   The house faced Berger Street and was one lot east of Fisher Alley.   The south side of the lot bounded on Selle Alley which runs between Berger Street and Deller Street.   This means it was across from the house that Sis Kemper lives in now (1994).

On September 18, 1901 Henry and Mary Ann Feldhaus bought the property on the corner of Groh Street and Buffalo Road from F. J. Wolz for $550.   This lot had been the old parsonage property and was bought by Mr. Wolz at auction on May 5, 1901 for $550.   Before this the land, along with a majority of the German Addition property, had belonged to the Bentley farm.

I have been told (even though Mr. Feldhaus did not mention the fact in his journal) that he first had to move the Bentley house back and later used it as a barn.

A large orchard lay to the east of where the house was to be built with two fruit trees of every kind. Mr. Feldhaus had to clear out some of the dead trees and cut down a few trees.

In early 1902 the house was started.   Many loads of sand were hauled by Mr. A. E. Black while Mr. Russell hauled gravel.   Rock was taken from Mr. Hovelmeier field for concrete. Brick was purchased from Mr. Boulie. Loads of lime were brought in.   Lumber was purchased from Fleeman Brothers and Mr. Morgan Spence.

On April 7, 1902, Mr. Feldhaus staked off the house and located where the cellar and cistern were to be dug by Mr. Gaul/Gault.   In June the cistern was finished and gutters put up.   Around the first of July work on the cellar was started.   By the last of July work began on the foundation.

Mr. Feldhaus contracted John Frietch to do the carpenter work and painting.   The sash and doors were made of coarse poplar.   The shingles were of yellow poplar. The house was to have three coats of paint on the outside, two coats of paint on the inside, and two coats of paint on the roof.   The outside walls of the house were double bricked and had solid brick partitions.   Gingerbread trim adorned the front porch.

Inside the house Mr. Frietch was to make three wardrobe closets, one pantry and china cabinet combined, and one bookcase.   Two stairways were built on the inside1 one just inside the front door to the right and one leading off the kitchen in the back of the house.   One stairway was built to the cellar with the house over the entrance to the cellar.   A hallway ran all the way through the middle of the house with an outside entrance in the back from the hail and from the kitchen.   The bathroom was in the back of the house.   A picket fence was built around the yard.

Prices for some of the supplies: doors and windows $50; brick $200; cement $20; lime $25; Mr. Frietch for carpenter work $130.

Mr. Charles Kamarad and his wife, Theresa Schneider, who was a sister to Mrs. Feldhaus, Built their home from the same plan as did the Feldhauses.   Their home was built on Brink Street.

Naturalization Papers of Henry Feldhaus

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