Two Marion County sites nominated for historic designation
Two Marion County sites were approved Saturday for formal nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review voted unanimously to submit Marion County Park and Lake, rural Marion, and the William Schaeffler House, Hillsboro, to the National Park Service.
Ramon Powers, head of the Kansas State Historical Society, said it could take up to six months for the National Park Service to announce formal designation, but it's unlikely they will reverse the recommendation.
"This was the step they needed to take," he said. "It's just a matter of getting the paperwork completed."
Selection
The stone structures at the county lake were approved for their connection with the "New Deal" programs of the 1930s.
The Schaeffler House was recommended for its architectural significance.
They were two of 13 requests the board of review saw at the all-day meeting. The board includes historians, architectural experts, and members of the public.
A number of Marion County residents attended the meeting. They included David Wiebe and Steve Garrett, Hillsboro, and Howard Collett, Dale Snelling, Bud and Lavonne Hannaford, and Dwight and Helen Beckham.
Also present was Dick Pankratz, originally from Hillsboro, and now an official with the state historical society.
There are 754 sites in Kansas on the National Register. Each must meet certain qualifications, such as being associated with significant events or people in history, embody distinctive construction characteristics, or that may yield information important to history and prehistory.
Owners of properties on the National Register can apply for state and federal grants to assist with preservation, as well as tax credits. About 30 grant applications have been received for the latest round of Heritage Trust Fund grants.
Marion County Lake
The application for the county park and lake was presented by Christy Davis, a preservation officer.
It includes the remaining stone and concrete picnic tables, ovens/incinerators, shelter houses, arched bridge, dam, and other features built at the site from 1936 to 1939. Several features have been removed through the years due to deterioration or for safety, but "the figures that remain maintain a high degree of integrity," Davis said.
The application was modified from the original, Davis said, by the county commission. Commissioners gave their approval to the project provided it did not include the more modern buildings, trailer park, and one or two original structures, all in the northwest corner.
This generated questions from the review board. Specifically, they wanted to know if the file would clearly delineate which structures were historic and which were not. Davis confirmed that they were not "buried" in the document.
Commissioner Howard Collett said the structures in the northwest corner were not included so that they could be adapted to future needs.
"We have quite a lot of recreation there, and we might want to make some changes there," he said. "The northwest corner is the business end of the lake."
Collett added that the county was "quite proud of the limestone structures" and thanked Helen Beckham for her work completing the application.
Schaeffler House
The Schaeffler House nomination was presented by Heather O'Hare, a historical society intern.
Built in 1909, it is "excellently preserved with a high degree of architectural integrity," she said.
Photos show little exterior change from its original construction. The front of the Queen Anne-style home has numerous architectural details, including fluted ionic columns and a turret. The rear of the home is less ornate.
Similarly, the most dramatic architectural details inside the house are focused in the front rooms downstairs, where visitors could see them. They include gas-light chandeliers and a built-in mirror.
Each of the four upstairs bedrooms is unique in size and shape, O'Hare said. While the second floor is "more practical," two oval art glass windows are located in two rooms.
It has been owned jointly by the city of Hillsboro and the Hillsboro Historical Society since 1980. The only question raised was whether the city fully supported the nomination. Garrett, city administrator, said the city stood behind the application.
"This is a classic, but what I appreciated was the story of the Schaefflers," said board member David Sachs. The family, which arrived as poor immigrants but built a prosperous business and left a legacy of goodwill to future generations, represented the classic "American Dream," he said.
Wiebe said that the Pioneer Adobe House in Hillsboro, also on the National Register, fairly represents the early days of settlers in the area.
"The more modern features of Hillsboro is resting pretty heavily on Mr. Schaeffler," he said.
New Deal qualities
One of the other nominations also may affect preservation projects in Marion County.
The board approved the New Deal Multiple Property Submission Context Statement. This means properties or projects that were built or funded by programs connected with the New Deal (1932 to 1943) could be considered eligible for nomination to the National Register.
Elizabeth Rosin of Historic Preservation Services, Kansas City, which presented the New Deal measure, said it would help communities determine if a particular property could be considered eligible.
For example, if a city had government buildings that were constructed with New Deal funds or programs, it could apply for funding under the context statement to pay for research on those structures.
"As long as the structure falls within that system, it can be considered for nomination," Rosin explained.
