Ok class, today we're going to talk about the origins of the mansion.

We're going to start with her founding fathers, so go ahead and get your tea and crumpets and sit back as I try to pick through the - limited - information I have. I can assure you that the gaps will be filled over time as I plan to pick through the Cass County and Indiana Historical Society's collective brains to figure out the rest. So far I've been informed they have old photos of the home and documents pertaining to the house and her inhabitants... Needless to say, I want copies.

Anyway, on with the history lesson... Albeit a reader's digest version.

It all started when a stately Jewish man by the name of Eli Greensfelder opened a shop at 315 Marketstreet Logansport, Indiana in 1860. It was a men’s shop, selling the finest suits and accessories that could be found in that day and age in Logansport. At that time, Logansport was a bustling railroad city-town that also boasted a leg of the now defunct, and largely destroyed, Wabash-Erie canal that had reached the city in 1937 or 1938. So busy was this town that it garnered for itself the nickname of “Little Chicago” which, incidentally, is only a 2 hour (or so) drive away and perfect for a weekend day trip.

The Greensfelder Mens Store dated 1913

A generation later, and Eli’s twin sons, Herbert and Melvin, took up the reins to continue their father’s legacy of excellence. In 1902 the mansion was constructed, just a short hop away from their beautiful shop, and stood as a beacon of excellence in the city. You see, the Greensfelders were a minority family at the time as there were only a handful of Jewish families in the town, and even fewer running businesses. As such, the family was extremely influential and civic service minded. Logansport was their baby, and they treated it as such.

Herbert and Melvin Greensfelder

One of the most interesting pieces of history that I’ve found is the fact that the Greensfelders were absolutely fearless in their approach to keeping Logansport safe. When the KKK opened an office, they were the first to make it known that their formidable new neighbors weren’t welcome. This has been accounted for in several archives and texts, but the most compelling story of their bravery comes from Jan Lewis, a professor at the esteemed Rutger’s University, who happens to be the granddaughter of Melvin Greensfelder. Her story was accounted in the New York Times and speaks of the family legend in which the story is chronicled in great detail;

Herbet, Melvin, and their close friend Frank McHale, an Irish-Catholic lawyer, took a trip to Chicago where they hired a group of mobsters to handle business in the KKK’s Logansport office. Some accounts state the office was trashed, others state that KKK members were trashed, others speak of a clandestine op that MI-6 would have been proud of. Regardless, something monumental happened to the KKK in Logansport in 1933, and the Greensfelders were behind the infamous organization’s decision to pack it up and head on out of Dodge. Interestingly enough, there aren’t any police documents to back the stories… But… Let’s be real. We all know things get dusted under the county rug at times, and this was definitely for the betterment of Logansport. However, let it be known that a very interesting document was uncovered after Melvin’s death in 1975; a typed KKK roster outlining some 250 names of members… And it was dated, you guessed it, 1933, and was undoubtedly taken during the break in. The document is now housed at the Indiana Historical Society and I’m going to do my best to obtain further information about it, and a picture.

The rest of the information I've found were pieces of history pertaining to military history in WWI and WWII. These men were honorable and just, and I'm quite proud to be preserving part of their legacy via the restoration of the mansion. As I find more information and hear more stories, I'll be sure to include them and make amendments. I actively encourage people to eMail me with more information, and have reached out to Professor Lewis in hopes of uncovering more anecdotes and information about the house and Logansport in general. I can be easily reached at StormShyArts@gmail.com

Until next time!

When I was designing this blog, I was all gung-ho for keeping it completely professional with no personal flair what so ever. I sat here with my Earl Gray and literally watched the steam wither away while I hunted for the words to begin this first post with something other than a personal anecdote. I swear the house refuses to let me hide personality for the sake of professionalism. It has its own personality, its own charisma… A sort of flair and zest and zeal that begs for life and merriment… And who am I to deny the old lady? At nearly 115 years old, the Greensfelder mansion is, without a doubt, very set in her ways – in a good way. She just knows what she wants, and who can blame her?

It’s honestly funny how things work and plans change. When we, my husband and I, set out to purchase a home, we were looking at horse property. I wanted the acreage, the barn, the garden, the country life. We looked high and low, put offers in on several homes that all fell through because of the seller’s integrity, or lack thereof. One was so badly misrepresented that we literally stood there watching it rain INSIDE the house in teeming torrents that turned the dining room and master bedroom into indoor swimming pools. Needless to say, when the bank that owned the property decided they were sticking to their guns on price, and we knew it was going to cost close to $100k to even make the home LIVABLE, we chose to walk away… And it was stressful. So very stressful. A lot of days were spent sitting beside a friend of mine, her on her phone, me on the computer, digging through Zillow, Realtor.com, and Trulia searching for ANY shred of hope that hubby and I weren't completely crazy for uprooting and moving to Indiana. 

Day after day was spent driving back and forth to the stores and entertainment, staring wantonly at the old Victorians in Fort Wayne, wistfully sighing "Why can't I find one of those? Why can't those be on more than postage stamp sized property?"

I have always loved Victorians… ALWAYS. My mother was the Queen of restoring and decorating Victorians and my dream was to own a great big giant Queen Anne, but... I couldn’t find one on horse property and I was stubbornly sticking to my guns of finding a place where I never had to board my horses again. Like this blog, however, plans changed. One of my closest friends found Greensfelder on a historical home site that she frequently lurks and BEGGED me to go look at this home, and I agreed... Only because she begged. Ok I lied. It wasn't just because she begged, I did it because Victorian, because history, because I just felt drawn to the place through my extensive Googling of its story. It doesn’t have horse property, is smack dab in the middle of town, and requires so much work… But I fell in love. One step through the door and I just KNEW this house was the one.

While anyone who drives past the house probably believes its haunted and ready to crumble in on itself, they couldn’t be any further from the truth. The house, while needing extensive exterior work to hold a candle to her shining former self, is an architectural gem. Inside, the work isn’t nearly as daunting. Sure… There’s drywall work and restoring part of her lincrusta wainscot, repainting, and hunting down the tiles to finish her beautiful mosaic vestibule floors, and, of course, re-finishing her grand ball room – but all of that is the fun stuff. It can, and will, be handled over the winter of 2016-2017 when exterior repairs can’t be done. Which reminds me… Whoever the genius was that listed her as having “horse hide” on her walls needs to be tarred and feathered. I assure you, fellow lovers of equus, the wainscot IS lincrusta. Linseed oil and wood flour made into a gel and spread out over paper before being pressed and embossed and then applied and stained to that beautiful, rich, deep finish we see today. Reading that on her listing seriously resulted in me doing something very similar to this;

Moving on.

The plan for this home is to maintain her historical integrity. We’re considering all options and her wood working WILL be preserved, both inside and out. That being said, there will be some changes, for the better.

Example 1: Her study will have the addition of wall to ceiling book cases installed at some point, the natural light in that room is absolutely spectacular and it’s such a quiet nook that affords someone the chance to sit with a hot cup of tea, tuck their legs up into a comfy chair, and read to their heart’s content.

Example 2: Her kitchen will have its remodeling continued. It’s been modernized, to a degree, but has the original cabinetry;  complete with the hand painted enamel drawer pulls etc. We WILL preserve those while affording functionality. Off the kitchen is an unfinished small 3 season room that will be finished with another fireplace installed.

Example 3: The basement will be finished. I’ve heard multiple tales that it acted as servants’ quarters. While in great shape, it’s hardly habitable and needs to be finished. The added space down there is just incredible. One room will be reinforced as a storm room.

I could continue going on and on about the changes, but I’d rather not for the sake of brevity. If you’re interested in her restoration plan, you can feel free to ask for it. I may, at some point, actively publish it once its set in absolute stone. The one thing that IS for certain is that this home will never fall into ruin again, well… As long as my husband and I are alive, anyway. I can only hope our children choose to love and preserve her integrity as we do, but they’ll certainly be raised to do so. Not many of today’s youth can boast that they grew up in one of the most unique and historical homes in the country, let alone the state of Indiana. Nevertheless, in our time she will never become apartments, torn down, or re-purposed into a shop or office space. I can't promise that she won't hold some commercial value, but fear not. The only reason for that is there mere fact that I own and operate my own graphic design/art studio and just so happen to work from home. Nothing too incredibly crazy.

So… That concludes blog post one. My tea has hit the microwave (sacrilege, I know), and I’m now going back through all the historical texts I have found about the mansion, and her previous owners, in order to start penning a catalog of her history to share with you all… That will start next blog.