Happy Anniversary!

September 1, 2014 marked one year of Bill and Donna’s ownership of the House.  A lot has happened in a year:

We learned about the original owners, Dr. Charles and Gertrude Masser and about life in Western Colorado in the 1900s.

We met some of the families that lived in the House and learned some great stories of their time there.  The Sorters, who lived in the House in the 1980s, and the Littles:  Leslie, Roger, Mitch, and Virginia, who lived in the house starting in the 50s.

Troubled trees were removed, and the sinking porch was shored up.

Winter’s snows came and the carriage house was taken down.  Meanwhile, we learned about the sorts of tack and carriage Dr. Masser might have stored there.

Plans to lift the House for a new foundation involved removing additions that had been built onto the original structure.

Porches and chimneys were removed, bricks were cleaned and saved, trees were trimmed, and Leslie and Roger picked up the family sidewalk sections during One Busy Summer.

This last week,  in order for the house-lifting company to have enough room, alterations are being made to the garage.  Its nearly unusable door was removed to make way for more efficient storage shed style doors.  Here’s a look:

The House has come along way from September 1, 2013

to September 1, 2014.

As Bill puts it, “One year down and a few more to go.”

 

One Busy Summer

Here we are.  Mid-August.  What happened to April, May, June, and July?!  It’s been a busy one for the team, everyone working at greenhouses, wineries, and electrical supply shops.  Bill and Michael continued to meet up at the Masser House (now being called the White House), getting her ready for her new foundation.  As you might expect, no small project!  Sit back, and enjoy a super-long post that will catch you up on the whole summer!

APRIL

The sun porch had to be removed.  We were saddened by this, as we cherish the memories the families shared about many happy hours spent out there.  The sun porch was an add-on to the original structure, so it wouldn’t lift with the House when she’s raised for the new foundation.  The boys carefully took it apart, window by window, board by board, until all that was left was the cement pad.

MAY

All living things have an expected lifespan.  The large trees next to the property are unfortunately at the end of theirs; they are diseased and are a threat to the White House and the neighbor’s house with limbs that could come down in a storm.  Special equipment was rented, the chainsaw was gassed up, and up went Bill and the saw in the bucket!  No injuries to any of the “chainsaw party” participants, equipment, vehicles or houses–a successful tree trimming!

JUNE

Chim-chim-cheree!  The boys looked like Mary Poppins’ chimney sweep friends, covered in soot as the crumbling chimneys came down and bricks were cleaned of mortar.  The cleaned bricks are no longer structurally sound, but are being saved for a future life in or around the House.

JULY

The sidewalk is back in the hands of the Little family.  Roger and Leslie showed up with a truck to gather up the sidewalk sections inscribed with family names.  Leslie plans to incorporate them into the landscaping of her house in Idaho.  Roger’s dad poured the sidewalks himself, and poured them THICK!  These are some HEAVY mementos!

Now it’s August and you’re all caught up!  Stay tuned for upcoming events, like a yard sale during Fruita Fall Fest, and the lifting of the House for its new foundation!  Next up on the agenda though, is a reworking of the garage to make room for the lifting company, and to be a more usable storage place than it is currently.  Most of the team will be at the House this Saturday, August 16–stop by and say hello!

 

Buried Treasures

Are any of you gardeners?  If you are no doubt you are familiar with compost, whether you make your own or buy it bagged.  If you’re not, compost is decomposed vegetative organic matter, broken down to a soil-like consistency of nutrient material.  Compost has been called black gold, and provides better soil structure, water-holding capability and essential nutrients for plants.

The gardens around the House that once held spectacular lilacs have been neglected for a while and could really use the boost that compost will provide.  Leaves from the large elm trees on the property and the soil from an area that once housed a rabbit hutch, as well as grass clippings have been moved to three manageable piles to break down and become black gold over the winter.  Just the thing to work into the soil around the few remaining lilacs and into soil that can be replanted with new trees and shrubs next spring!

Of course, making a good compost pile requires a fair amount of raking, shoveling and stacking, as well as turning up the soil under the pile to welcome soil microorganisms to the composting party!

After a light rain started–perfect to get those compost piles working–we turned our attention to the original carriage house.  The years have not been kind to this structure, so we want it cleaned out in case heavy snows this winter bring it down.  Up in the rafters we found riches of dusty-dusty-dusty canning jars as well as an oil CAN!  How long has it been since you’ve seen one of these?  Nothing worth a lot of money, but because they are part of the House’s history, treasures, none-the-less.

Do you know about old canning jars?  Any idea how old these might be?

Know When to Hold ‘Em…

And know when to fold ’em!  The House is officially part of this Saturday’s (Oct. 19, 2013) Poker Run Bicycle Race for the F-Town Gear Down Film and Bicycle Festival!  Woot!

We are hoping to be the last stop as you should ALWAYS save the best for last!  We will be there for anyone that would like to tour the house between at least the hours of 1:00pm to 3:00pm, as you must be back in Civic center Park by 3:30pm to play your hand for prizes. There will be a Registration Tent in Civic Center Park to register for the Poker Run.  Other happenings include:

• Great music in the Park beginning at 1:00pm.
• The Film Festival will show at 3:30pm and 5:30pm; featuring very personal, short “indie films” on riding adventures.
• Restaurants, Businesses and Vendors will be celebrating with specials all day long.  (Try a couple of our favs:  The Hot Tomato and The Tap Room at Copper Club Brewing Company.  You’re sure to find just what you need to quell your hunger and quench your thirst!)

Get more information about the F-Town Gear Down Film and Bicycle Festival by visiting the events tab on their Facebook Page, and the F-Town Film Festival’s web page.

We hope to see you there for great music, films and of course cycling!

In the meanwhile, check out last year’s Film Festival winners, and get into a card-playing mood with some vintage (1978!) Kenny Rogers, singing The Gambler.

A Page in The Paper

Last week’s Fruita Times published the following after a visit and an interview with Bill and Donna.

Fruita couple hopes to restore historic home

Kathleen Goddeyne

 

Many Fruitans drive by 404 East Aspen Ave. without knowing they are passing a piece of history.

Donna Stratton and her husband Bill Holstein have admired the home since moving to Fruita from Grand Junction in 1992. Through the years, the house has seen more and more damage and is now in a state of disrepair. Stratton and Holstein hope to change that, and closed on the house, which they refer to as Masser House, in August of this year.

“She was over $100,000 and we couldn’t get a loan. The bank denied us because the house is not inhabitable, so the money that was going to go into fixing her up is suddenly going into buying her, but things happen for a reason. Maybe this is meant to be for the community,” Stratton said. “Our goal right now is to get her cleaned up and get her prepared to get through the winter. Last winter was horrible for her. There was too much snow on the roof and it ended up coming through. The owner had renters who weren’t paying, but working on the house and they left in the middle of the night without telling the owners, so the pipes froze and caused a lot of damage.”

The couple has been spending Saturdays and Sundays at the home cleaning both inside and out since purchase. Although Stratton’s main focus is to ready the home for winter, the couple is also interested in learning the history of the home. Community members are already coming forward with information on Masser House.

“Our number one request from this community is to help us with the history of the house. We’ve been trying to learn as much as we can and people coming by has been the most wonderful thing in the world. We love to hear people’s stories,” Stratton said. “We know the land was purchased in 1901 by Gertrude Masser, the wife of Charles B. Masser who was one of the first doctors in Fruita. They bought two lots for $300 and the house was built in 1911.”

Holstein and Stratton believe this is the perfect time to renovate the old home with the renovations to Civic Center Memorial Park and the downtown area. They are considering applying to “This Old House,” a television show dedicated to renovating old homes, but help from the community wouldn’t hurt either.

“Our plans to restore her will continue with or without the show. We simply see an opportunity to benefit this community with exposure,” Stratton said. “This is one of the last historical homes in the area. We want to be good neighbors and restore her to be something this area can be proud of.”

Anyone interested in helping with the repairs to Masser House is welcome, on Saturdays and Sundays. The couple is also open to ideas to raise funds for the home before Jan. 31, 2014, and is also in need of someone with experience in grant writing.

“When we moved here, we had no idea we were moving into such a community,” Stratton said. “This is more than a town, it’s a community and we really want to get involved and try to do everything we can to save her.”

 

Our thanks to Katie and the Times!