Residents prize area's history

Electric street cars once ruled the brick streets of Ottumwa, a historic image of the city many residents feel is being lost because of the expense, time and effort needed to maintain such remnants of history.

But one Ottumwa-based group is working to reverse this trend of deterioration. The Court Hill Preservation Association received its non-profit status in January 2004 and has since been hard at work promoting renovation projects to enhance Ottumwa's unique historic district.

The association relies on the donations and free labor provided by its 30 members to maintain and renovate the exteriors of homes within the boundaries of Ottumwa's Court Hill and Fifth Street Bluff historical districts. The association also purchases derelict homes in the area for future restoration and researches the histories of properties within the historic districts.

Ottumwa was established in 1843, before Iowa became a state, and structures built as early as the 1850s remain.

Tim and Liz Ware's home is located within the Court Hill historic district and has been owned by only two different families since it was built in 1882. The original owner, Allan Johnston, was an inventor with hundreds of patents. One of his inventions, the sewing machine ruffler, is still in use today.

In 1968, the Ware family bought the house. Tim Ware inherited it from his parents. The home is furnished with period pieces, art and fixtures that the Ware family has collected from across the country for decades. The home is historically accurate and immaculate; everything appears to have its place.

Tim is a sixth-grade teacher and Liz operates an interior design and drapery business out of the home. The Wares said they are the constant caretakers of the relic, but that the preservation of history is their hobby.

"It definitely takes time and patience to keep the house up," Tim Ware said.

The couple raises a young daughter in the home and is often questioned about the livability of such an antique abode.

"I grew up in this house," Tim Ware said. "My siblings and I fought and played here just like regular kids. Sometimes things were broken. . . . But I don't feel like my daughter's childhood will be much different than it would be anywhere else."

However, the random calls from those passing through who want a tour of the house are a little out of the ordinary. But the Wares welcome most visitors in hopes of creating an appreciation of Ottumwa's interesting history and impressive architecture.

The city has 16 listings in the National Register of Historic Places, including Ottumwa Public Library, Wapello County Courthouse, U.S. Post Office, St. Mary's of the Visitation Church and Rectory, Jay Funeral Home and Jefferson Street Viaduct.