A century home has been restored to last at least another century.
Kindly dubbed the Widow's House, 303 Marshall St., has been named the May Golden Hammer Award recipient by the Historic City of Jefferson.
Historic researcher Deborah Goldammer gave the home, owned by Ryan and Stacie Gilmore of Cameo Construction, its unofficial name after discovering widows lived there continually from 1909 to 1973, except for the year 1922.
Franz Nierman bought the lot from A.D. Sellers in 1894, and by 1904, Nierman was living there. Therefore, Goldammer said she believes Nierman constructed the home between 1900-04; however, the assessor's office lists the home built in 1910.
A machinist in 1900, Nierman moved with his wife, Louise, and their daughters, Cornelia and Louise, from 600 E. High St. He later was foreman for the S.J. Sullivan Saddle Tree Factory, part of the prison industries at the corner of Lafayette Street and today's Capitol Avenue.
By 1905, Nierman sold the home to George Hope Jr., a tailor working for his father at 203 E. High St. Hope sold it in 1909 to mother and daughter Cynthia Rogers and Mary Tucker, both widows. Tucker, a printing company clerk, had two daughters, Catherine and Margaret, who lived with them.
The pair sold the property in 1922 to widow Nellie Betz and Harry Betz, who sold it a year later to Missouri Pacific Railroad conductor Lyman Whitlow and his wife, Erna.
After that, widow Nora Beatrice Dykeman owned the property from 1935-73. She worked as a stitcher in a shoe factory, a pants factory and also as a machine operator at Oberman & Company. Goldammer speculated Dykeman took on boarders, since she had another source of income and other names listed the building as their home address.
Dykeman's daughter Eunice lived in the 300 block of Marshall Street before her mother bought the property in 1935. In 1973, Eunice, a school teacher who married Leslie Hedge, sold her mother's property to John and Joyce Dyke, who in turn sold to David and Judith Farley.
Goldammer surmised that the Farleys converted the home into a three-apartment rental. Henry Laughlin bought it in 1978 and turned around and sold it to Roger and Beverly Morff. However, David Farley continued to live in the home.
The home continued to be used as a rental property until the mid-1990s, after which it likely stood vacant, Goldammer said.
This is the first of six homes that will be recognized in the eighth year of the Golden Hammer Award.
The 2015 Golden Hammer Award winners will be selected from among nominations made this year. Anyone may make a nomination. Once nominated, the selection committee will contact the property owner.
Selection criteria include the structure being older than 50 years, improvements to the overall use and appearance of the building beyond routine maintenance, and renovations must have been completed within the last five years.
The Golden Hammer owners often are visual thinkers with a can-do spirit, said committee chairman Laura Ward.