Current Information

Project 2001

Master Plan

History:
Archealogical
Recent

Ecosystems:
Shoreline/Aquatic
Wetland
Prairie
Woodland
Survey Data

Photo Gallery

Rock Lake Home

Should we save the House?

The Korth family farmhouse is a very important historical landmark, but is it worth all of the money needed to renovate it? Where would the money come from? What could the house be used for? What about liability issues? Do you think we should save the house?

General Information

Alexander Earl sometime prior to 1850 built the house. Even though it is called the Korth farmhouse, its first occupant was Fred Seaver and a Korth did not purchase it until 1880. The house contains many original things that other houses of its age do not contain. This is because the Korths invested most of their money in their farm and thus had little money to redo the house. One example of this is the painting on the wood. It was popular when the Korth house was built to paint wood white and then paint artificial grain on it. This type of wood is left in the Korth house and is very rare because most people have painted over it by now.

Arguments for Preservation

One plan is to renovate the house. It could be turned into a museum or a visitor center. This would be one way to insure that the house and its history will be remembered, especially due to the fact that the most popular plan at this time is to tear down the barn. The barn was often used for locating places around the lake. The house would be a useful alternative if the barn were removed. It is important to save some of the history of our town, and the Korth farmhouse would be one of few historical buildings left. Even though all of this may cost some money, much of it could be covered through contributions.

Arguments against Preservation

A drawback to renovating the house is money. It will be very costly to fix all of the problems in the house Maintenance including railing and roof repairs would be ongoing and expensive. A lot of the money for this would come from taxes. Another major concern is liability. The house has many unique features, but they could be hazardous. Someone could get hurt.