THE FRIENDS OF THE

PELSTER HOUSEBARN

   Hallenhaus or Housebarn: The primitive tradition of combining house and barn in one structure without partitions. The Pelster Housebarn is a fine example of Fachwerk construction, with its massive white-oak timbers hand-hewn with a broad ax. All joints are mortised, tenoned and secured with pegs. Roman numerals designated each beams’ location in the frame work and design. Limestone was used as fill between the timbers.

One of only twelve such structures in the United States, and the last example in Missouri, the Pelster Housebarn is a significant National treasure. Built by F. William Pelster in the mid-1800s, the housebarn contains as many modern amenities as it does old-world traditions. Built to be covered by weatherboarding, it was the first building in the area to have a metal roof cover its original wood shingles. The structure was banked into the slope of the hillside, allowing the lowest level to be used for housing livestock and other farm animals, a building practise brought from the hillsides of Germany. A fruit cellar is opposite the stable, horse and calf stalls. On the next level, a Diele or central hall holds a wooden floor for threshing. and while most German barns used an opening on the gable end, the Pelster housebarn does not. Surrounding the central hall is the granary, creamery, weaving room, a kitchen, sitting room and parlor. A stairway in the central hall leads to two bedrooms, with an attic loft located above that. Opposite are the third and fourth level hay lofts.

The housebarn’s builder, William Pelster, was born in Dissen, in the Osnabrück district in Hanover, and immigrated to the United States with his parents, Friedrich and Maria, and his younger brother Rudolph in August of 1842. William would first build a log structure for his wife Catherine Plackman, and six children in the 1850s. Family history tells us that William began his housebarn either prior or during the Civil War, and upon his marriage to his second wife, Maria Stockkamp completed the building for her in 1865. She and William also raised six children, with all twelve children eventually reared in the housebarn. Even his third wife, Rebekah Kruetzer, and children by her previous marriage would come to live in the housebarn, with the entire Pelster family occupying the building for over 60 years.

In 1978, the Pelster Housebarn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1980, Pelster descendents donated the Housebarn to the Missouri Heritage Trust (now the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation). In the early 1980s critical restoration and stabilization work began, including roof repairs, weatherboarding and exterior painting. In 1983, 79-year-old Alfred Pelster, grandson of William, assisted on a research project conducted on the housebarn by the Missouri Cultural Heritage Center of the University of Missouri. In 1989, the housebarn was sold to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, by a purchase made possible through the Historic Preservation Revolving Fund. Restrictive covenants were placed upon the property by the National Trust, to ensure proper preservation and that the housebarn remain upon its present site. Anyone wishing more information about the property should contact Mark Miles, Director, Missouri State Historic Preservation Office at 573-751-7761.

The Friends of the Pelster Housebarn

     The preservation of the Pelster Housebarn is an ongoing project, and the mission of the Friends of the Pelster Housebarn. A non-profit group, the Friends of the Pelster Housebarn has been formed, and is in the process of acquiring 501c3 status. The Friends of the Pelster Housebarn will develop a formal plan that will outline the best steps for it to assist the State with its’ preservation of the housebarn; research planning and preservation grants; and raise funds for necessary projects.
Visit them on the web at http://www.washingtonmo.us/Housebarn.html or join them at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Housebarn/ or contact by email at Franke@washingtonmo.us