The Demaree House c. 2017, via St Louis Post-Dispatch
Hello everyone, and welcome to the newest series on the blog, called "When It Stood". In this series, I'll be writing on locations that are no longer with us in physical form. We will explore their history, share their legacy, and preserve their memory in people's minds. As a historic preservationist, it breaks my heart to lose these places to time. Though we can do our best to retell the stories, and use the pain of loss as motivation to save what is still standing. Today we are discussing the Demaree house, which stood in House Springs, Missouri. First, allow me to share a bit of backstory.
House Springs as we know today, was once called Demaree after the builder of this home, Cornelius Demaree. Demaree was one of the earliest settlements in Jefferson County, with its first residents, Adam House and family, arriving around 1796. Adam house was a German man, looking for a place to settle away from the more populous communities of the Upper Louisiana Territory. He found Missouri promising, as the land was fertile, and saw St. Louis a potential trading post for his goods. House came upon a piece of flatland near a spring surrounded by sugar maples, and the family decided their homestead would be built there.
Though the House family found success in their endeavor, tragedy would soon strike. In the year 1800, members of the Osage Tribe were traveling to St. Louis, when they made a stop at the House homestead. They requested to borrow two of House's horses, but he declined. In spite of this, after House returned to his work, the Osage men took the horses anyway. House contacted authorities, who had the Osage involved arrested. Things would take a dark turn however, as the Osage would raid the House homestead, killing Adam, and his son Jacob as an act of revenge. The two other House children escaped, and Adam's wife Anne had already passed due to illness by this time.
It wasn't until 1837, that another family would see the vision that the House family once had for the land. In the recent years prior, Cornelius Demaree migrated to Jefferson County from Kentucky. It was during 1837, that Cornelius married Delphine Keepers. Following the marriage, the newly weds decided settled on the historic acreage. Here they built a log structure on the land, which would evolve into the two story, center hall home that locals would know and love for years to come. In the land survey #666, it shows Cornelius Demaree owning the majority of the land that had once belonged to Adam House.
The original 1837 logs exposed beneath the siding c. 2017, via Jefferson County Library
Cornelius was a merchant, blacksmith, and postmaster within the community that has sprung up around his homestead. It was in this home that the Demaree's had three daughters, Elizabeth, Caroline, and Mary. Unfortunately, Delphine died sometime around 1845, less than ten years after settling and starting their new life in Missouri. Though Cornelius did remarry, after falling in love with a woman named Lucinda Longwith in 1853. They would go on to have two more children, Charles and Phoebe.
In 1857, Cornelius Demaree died. His family lived in the home for another three years, but by 1860, it became necessary to sell the property, along with its assets. A man by the name of Dr. George A. Smith subdivided the land and marketed the parcels as “The Town of Demaree”. The probate record lists the town as having 15 buildings, including the dwelling house, a stable, a blacksmith shop, and well houses.
After several years, the Demaree family left the area, causing the name of the town to be changed to House Springs, in memory of the family who had first settled the region. All that remains of the Demaree name now, is a street by the name. Several families would call the Demaree House home throughout the years. Generation after generation ran the halls, giving the home a taste of each American era. The community valued the home as a landmark, and as symbol of House Springs history.
The Demaree House c. 2017, via Historical Barnhart/Imperial and Surrounding Areas on Facebook
Although the home was a pride of many, its triumphant era did eventually come to an end. Vacancy took its toll on the old architecture. John Warmbrodt says on Facebook: “I think during the decade of the 1980's that old house started deteriorating due to neglect. By the 1990's it needed a new roof and painting. Then major deterioration and rotting occurred after 2000. The present owner who had it torn down was not responsible for this.” This most recent owner is a man by the name of Brad Bruce, who faced backlash on the condition of the home while in his ownership. However, Bruce did make an effort to put the home in the right hands. He told the St Louis Post-Dispatch in 2017 that he was open to selling the property to someone who could preserve the home, and move it to another location.
Despite Bruce's efforts, the hopes of finding the right buyer were not fruitful. The house was declining quickly, causing major hazards. It was in October of 2017, that Brad Bruce reluctantly made the decision to demolish the home. This came with great sadness, and criticism from the House Springs residents. “I passed that house everyday on my way to work, it's sad not to see it anymore.” says Aaron Lunsford on Facebook. Though, there would soon be a glimmer of hope to ease the heartache of those who loved the home.
Demaree House being demolished, taken by Jessi Reynolds via Facebook
Bruce spoke out on his decision: "I am the current owner of this house. I purchased the home with intentions of repairing it. Through the years it has seen more neglect than the house could handle. The bottom had unevenly settled and was causing the floors and walls to buckle. Combined with water damage from a leaking roof the house was too far gone for repair. The house is currently being demolished, however the logs are being saved so that they can be inspected and if possible, used to rebuild the structure. I am glad to read that there are so many people in town concerned about the house, because I am concerned as well. I grew up in House Springs and l know how important this house is to the history of the area. It was not simply torn down "in the name of progress." It was a difficult decision for us to make. It was torn down because it was not only beyond repair, but also a safety concern." Jim Davis says: “I had to take it down but they tagged every log of the cabin to put it back up somewhere, so people need to thank Brad Bruce because he took great care to save as much as possible.”
As of October 2021, we still don't know the future of the Demaree house. However we hold out hope that the structure will be rebuilt in an environment where it will receive the best care. Bruce's choice to preserve the logs is a huge win for historic preservation. Though the corner in House Springs where the pioneer homestead once stood is now barren, it isn't the end of the road for the Demaree house. It isn't often these structures get a second chance. We lose more and more of these treasures to demolition all the time, so if restoration isn't an option, deconstruction with the intention to preserve is the next best thing. I am very eager to see what the future holds for this relic. Until then, we will reflect on its time watching over House Springs.
The Demaree House
1837 - 2017
Thank you all for reading once again, I would love to hear your thoughts on the new series. If you have any places you would like to see in this series, feel free to let me know! I am now publishing a new article every Friday at 9:00 AM, so be sure to tune in to see our topic each week.
Until next time,
Jennie
