A Glimpse into the Past
The Stone House
A
Homestead Landmark
Bridgewater, South Dakota
My great grandfather, James Edward Ramesbothom, built a homesteader's house in 1880/1881 using "Sioux Falls granite" from the quarry located on the land. He blasted rock from the quarry and the stonecutter, William Kressman, chiseled the rock into manageable sizes. Click here to view the Sioux City Journal newspaper article about the house.
When my sisters and I visited the old homestead in September 2004, the current owner, Mr. Hofer, graciously took us through the house and allowed us to take photos.
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The wooden structure was moved next to the old stone house to make a summer kitchen. Photo taken in 1953. |
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The barn's lower level was also built from stones taken from the quarry. Photo taken in 1953.
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| The stone quarry where boulders were chiseled into convenient sizes. This is one of the black and white photos taken in 1953. Vera Mosher applied transparent oils to make this color photograph. |
| This shows the distance the stones had to be transported from the quarry to the top of the hill where the house is located. Photo taken in 2004. |
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This is the front of the house as seen from the road. The house is currently used for storage. Photo taken in 2004. |
| The walls are a "good" 12 inches thick. This view allows you to see it is a two-story house. From the road it appears as a one-story. Photo was taken in 2004. |
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This is the back side of the house and is now overgrown with trees and bushes. Photo was taken in 2004. |
