Tag:Easterday Construction
Shady Rest Home
Easterday Construction belongs to Indiana Landmarks. Their recent email newsletter includes some pictures of the Shady Rest Home on the east side of Plymouth. For anyone one interested, the County is looking at options to repurpose this facility since Bowen Center‘s decision to cease operations there. The following is an excerpt from the Indiana Landmarks site regarding the home.
“In the days before welfare and social programs, and before the establishment of hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted-living facilities, people in need often had nowhere to turn. In 1848, Indiana passed new legislation requiring every Indiana county to “provide a public place wherein the unfortunate poor might have care.” Eventually, all 92 Indiana counties established “poor farms,” where able-bodied residents worked to offset the cost of residential care.
Local fanfare accompanied the Marshall County home opening in 1893. As the architecture makes evident, the county intended to create a quality home for their neediest citizens. Wing and Mahurin — a firm renowned for its Romanesque Revival public buildings — designed a grand Superintendent’s Quarters, with living and work space for the director and residents. Originally called the Marshall County Infirmary, the place earned its “Shady Rest” nickname from the many shade and fruit trees planted on the property.
Shady Rest Home today
Unfortunately, demolition has claimed a majority of Indiana’s historic county homes. In continual service for more than a century, Shady Rest is an anomaly. The county sold the facility in 1998, but it continued to serve as the Otis R. Bowen Center Shady Rest Home, a private residential center for adults who suffer from mental illness.
The Bowen Center closed Shady Rest this summer, and Marshall County commissioners are looking for ways to put the campus back in use. The five-acre property includes the main building, a large c. 1893 barn, a 1920s well house, and a garage.
The main building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, which could make it eligible for Federal Rehabilitation Tax credits. Check out the National Register nomination for more interesting history about the Marshall County home. For more on efforts to find a reuse for the property, contact Marshall County commissioner Kurt Garner, 574-936-0613 or kurt.garner@gmail.com.”
Easterday Construction completed some renovation work on the facility back in the early 80’s. I was a plumber’s helper on part of that work, so I got to see some of the facility at that time. Unfortunately there wasn’t much effort to document projects at that time, so I don’t have any real details on what was done. I remember demolishing some nasty showers though!
It would be sad to lose this piece of history, though repurposing the facility may be challenging. Generally a buildings highest and best use is its original use and once that use has run its course, change is difficult. I’m sure with a little creativity, the County’s Committee on repurposing the building, currently being lead by Commissioner Kurt Garner, will find a suitable third life for this historic building.
Blast From the Past: Marge Baker
Very cool that Marge still has friends like this looking out for her. She still calls us on occasion to help with minor household needs.
Marge is a former Easterday Construction Co., Inc. employee, working for us into her 70’s. She was always a cheerful influence around the office and a huge “Company Woman”. She would always promote Easterdays and was thrilled with the logo-wear we would give out at times during the year. The last time I saw her she had to show me the hat she still had. I would have given her another, but she was still keeping that one in immaculate condition.
It’s hard to believe that she’s still going strong at 87. We all wish her many more good years. It’s a loss to the town that we don’t see her peddling her old blue bike with the big basket on the front around anymore. She was one of Culver’s iconic fixtures.
Article scanned from the Pilot News – 8-28-17
Charley Creek Inn Ribbon Cutting
Ribbon Cutting for the Courtyard – May 5, 2017
I’ve been a little slow getting things up on the site this summer. There’s been a lot going on. Thanks to the Wabash Plain Dealer for the picture from the event.
Howard Kaler, General Manager of the Charley Creek Inn, tells me that the Courtyard has been an enormous success. There are already over 20 different events scheduled in the Courtyard in July. We’re pretty proud of it. You can see additional pictures here. There are some additional pictures elsewhere in the blog showing the construction.
I recommend that you check it out if you’re in the area. Heck, personally I think it’s worth a special trip!
Why it’s Important to Hire a Professional Construction Company
Guest Writer, Sam Socorro submitted this article. Thanks Sam! – Kevin
Whether you’re planning to build your home, a shop, garage, business or if you’re planning on renovating, you might be tempted to save yourself some money by doing the work on your own or with helpful friends and family. If you’re a skilled tradesperson, this idea can actually benefit your savings account in the end, but if your expertise lies outside of construction, you could be setting yourself up for disaster. When building or handling a renovation, there will undoubtedly be interruptions, issues and unforeseen complications that the average person isn’t equipped to handle efficiently. Skilled tradespeople are worth their weight in gold when it comes to having a project done properly, up to code, and within a set budget and time frame. Here are some reasons why researching and hiring a local construction company can be your best bet.
- You can see examples of their work
Most construction companies can show you examples of projects that they’ve completed in a book or online, but if your company is local, you have an even better way of determining that their work is up to your standards. Ask them what projects they’re either working on or have completed that you might be able to take a gander at. You can ask them for references as well, and talk to their customers who can give you advice on what they wish they’d known before starting, or about what they loved about their chosen construction company. Doing some background digging can reassure you that hiring a professional is the way to go for your building project.
- Communication is key
With a professional construction company, you’re more likely to have information before or when you need it, and you’ll be kept in the loop throughout the project. A good crew will be able to answer your questions or direct you to someone who can, and that person should be regularly available to you. They’re going to be busy, but you should anticipate having your messages returned within 24 hours.
- Your project can be completed on time
Hiring out your job means that your time can be spent at your regular job and your vacation time can be just that; vacation. A construction company will have the knowledge and experience to complete projects in a timely manner and that will ultimately save you money in the end. Hiring professionals means that your project will be completed far faster than if you attempt to tackle it yourself.
- Your crew will have the expertise to deal with problems
If you haven’t had the experience working in this trade, running into even a common problem will in all likelihood completely derail you. A professional, by comparison, will have run into similar problems during his or her years of employment and will quickly and efficiently come up with a plan to correct any issues and get the job done in spite of setbacks.
- A professional will understand building codes
Even if you do understand the ins and outs of your project fairly well, do you understand the local bylaws and building codes? Doing a project that doesn’t fall within the guidelines of your county can cause you to spend a lot more time and money on the project than you originally budgeted for. A professional construction company will have a good grasp of what falls within the county guidelines and can help correct your plans so that there are no future issues with your neighbours, town, or MD.
- Professional expertise is at hand when its needed
You may be a jack of all trades and fairly handy, but hiring a professional construction company means that you gain the expertise of a variety of trades. The construction company will have access to electricians, plumbers, dry wallers, painters, carpenters, and any other industry tradesperson who is required for the job. Even if they don’t retain people in every trade on their payroll, they will have far easier access to retaining these people for the job when the time comes for their particular skills.
It makes good sense to hire a professional construction company for all of your building needs to save you time, stress and money in the end.
This article was written by Sam Socorro from Steam Shower Store. Sam has been writing articles for over 10 years and is a commanding voice in the health and fitness community with her articles high in demand.
Pony Barn
SE View (Before)
Unless you have worked at Easterday Construction, you probably don’t know what the Pony Barn is… The offices of Easterday Construction are on what used to be Russell L. Easterday’s farm. We’re still technically at the west edge of Culver, but there used to be a bit more of a development gap! When I was growing up, my great grandparents lived in the brick house on the northwest corner of Ohio & Cass Streets with nothing blocking their view of the lumberyard site.
SE View (after)
The Pony Barn is the only remaining structure from when the property was a working farm. Some of the other buildings have been built on the foundations of former farm buildings and there is still the vague remains of a cattle barn in the woods at the back of the property, but that structure has mostly collapsed and rotted away. My great grandfather continued to do some cattle farming as a side venture, but he moved his farm up to northeast corner of School Street and Hwy 10. The barn that stood on that site has been gone for years, but I can vaguely remember that before the high school was built, Great Grandpa Easterday’s Herford cattle grazed on that property at the end of Slate Street.
SW View (Before)
The Pony Barn has remained as a viable structure for shade and shelter over the years, though it’s been more of a home to wildlife in the past few years. We store some miscellaneous shingles, pipe fittings and forming materials in it. The interior has the original framing and you can see the stalls with the nawed boards from when farm animals were housed there. There are the remains of nearly petrified straw and hay in the corners, but they are so old that even the mice aren’t interested in them.
SW View (after)
The original tin roof has had some damaged patched here and there over the years, but this past winter’s wind storms did a real number on it. Patching was no longer an option. Fortunately, we had enough left over VSR roofing to reroof the entire building. And what do you know? It was Easterday Green!
I have no idea how old it is. It has to be one of the older structures in Culver. It still needs some work, as many of the siding boards are failing. I intend to do some additional minor patching to keep the structure “alive”, for the memories if nothing else. It remains an interesting reminder of times gone by and of my great grandfather.
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