blogging & bragging

At the end of a long, curving row of older homes that meander with the flow of Whitewood Creek, sits 152 Charles. She’s a bit of a hot mess. An abandoned restoration project of years gone by. Gone wrong. Still, she sits, protected as a “contributing resource” in the Deadwood National Historic Landmark District.

Research tells us that this early Deadwood house was built in what used to be known as a rural and urban pioneer settlement of 1858-1893. The house is circa 1890, making her some 131 years old. Title search shows she’s had more than a few owners, which adds a bit of “color” to her history. Remarkably, early occupation shows that L.C. Lawton, who operated B.H. Steam Laundry, and A.D. Stewart, who was in the mining business are listed in the directory of 1898. 1902 she was home to C.E. Beck and John Wingfield, both teamsters, and Charles Fowler who was a machinist. Rounding out residency in the preservation report, Casper and Margretha Ruether occupied the home, and Mrs. Mamie Ritter, city clerk also resided there. Appropriately, the working folks inhabited this Folk Victorian farm house on the rural prairie edge of the hustle and bustle of a booming urban Deadwood.

The home is of “contribution” because of its early construction but also because it was also remodeled during pre-WWII years. She is a collaboration of 19th Century mining boom construction as well as the mining revival of the later 1920s and 30s. The original home (the east side) is relatively simple, exemplifying the traditions of folk style: simple floor plan, gabled roof and ascending stairway on one side of the home. With the production of “Victorian” decorative trim, common folks, like my miner and my machinist, could afford to add decoration to an otherwise rather boring house. In or around the later 1920s the “west” addition was added. The only remaining tell-tale sign of arts and crafts is found in the rear porch roof. The overhang is significant. The beams are large and the hardware is intended to last through the centuries. With the exception of a beautiful Queen Anne picture window, a unique horizontal window that overlooks the wooded hillside behind the home and the Greek Revival influenced stairway ascending to one remaining intact bedroom, there is nothing left. Happily, that one room upstairs is full of examples of what the woodwork and trim used to be in the home. Likewise, because the previous owner had begun restoration of the exterior, there is nothing left but that rear porch and some original, decorative cedar shakes adorning the peaks of the home. She is a blank slate, inside and out, waiting for us to bring her back to life.

Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to get the deal done that would allow us to start that process! Multiple issues arose during the process, but alas, with only 8 hours left on the contract, the stars aligned and the deal closed! From then on, it has been “GO TIME”! The City of Deadwood and the Historic Preservation team and commission have been excellent partners in this process. I have never been to a city meeting, in any city – big or small that was so well structured and prepared for. And we met with not 1 or 2 but 3 leaders to talk through the vision, the goals and the process. I had no idea what these guys really looked like, thanks to COVID, but I knew that they knew their stuff. It was also clear that they were happy that someone was finally going to bring Charles back!

I have decided to start this “Saving Charles” blog to help document the process of doing just that. I also hope it will serve as inspiration to someone else who wants to preserve one of the remaining homes on the “contributing” list, or perhaps to encourage an owner who has no such intention to do so of offering it up to someone who will. I know that is sometimes not easy, but it is such a generous step toward saving a part of Deadwood’s history. Finally, I hope that this documentation will serve to reassure Governor Noem and the Legislature that their investments are working for programs like this… and maybe other states and cities that disregard the historical integrity and meaningful contributions of an old home or building will think twice. Not every one can be saved, but there are many out there that want to be! Like our Charles. Thanks for reading. Watch for updates.