Iowa Couple Saves House
By Ashley Nanco | Online Only | Aug. 20, 2009
Last week an Iowa couple saved a 125-year-old mansion near Tipton, Iowa, when they oversaw its eight-and-a-half-mile journey to a new address.
"It was either move it or see it go down. I didn't have a choice," says Tipton resident Linda Weaver, who bought the Buchanan House with her husband, Randy. "I'm really into antiques, and this house has always been a landmark."
The 16-room wood-and-brick mansion was built by Alexander Buchanan between 1883 and 1885 and is located within the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, a National Park Service-affiliated area dedicated to telling the story of America's agricultural experience and history.
"It was the most prominent farmhouse within 50 miles. It was [part of] a huge, Victorian-era farm that was lost in the Great Depression," Rod Scott, president of the board of directors of the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance.
Workers from Jeremy Patterson House Moving of Washington, Iowa, started the job on the morning of Aug. 10, 2009, and ended two days later. Sitting on top of six self-propelled dollies and guided by a remote-control joystick, the 80- foot-by-50-foot load, which exceeded 300 tons, crept down the road at an average speed of one mile per hour.
"It took up the whole road," Scott says. In addition to the rain that delayed the move for a week, trouble arose when the Buchanan House came to an intersection, where it had to make a sharp turn. "As we turned the corner, we ended up with this tremendous elevation difference," Scott says. "There were a bunch of us out there putting down mats and cribbing so that the metal frame wouldn't stress and crack the brick structure."
Linda and Randy Weaver plan to start a winery and may also use the mansion to host special events. However, the house is still awaiting a basement.
"It feels good [to know we saved it]. But now's when the real grease comes in. We have a lot ahead of us, and I just have to tell myself, 'It's an adventure,'" Weaver says. "If it had been torn down, I would've kicked myself for a long time."
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Comments
Submitted by Old House Obsessed at: January 31, 2010
Thanks to the Weavers for saving this beautiful home! I look forward to watching it evolve over next years. Iowa has loads of historic homes that should be saved. I wish I could save them all!
Submitted by Brian at: August 22, 2009
Looks in perfect shape! Amazing that someone would demolish that building.