County of building: St. Charles County
Location of building: Lewis St. & N 8th St., NE corner, St. Charles
Built: 1903
Architect/Builder: John H. Buckman
Architectural Style: Gable-front-and-wing
Original Occupant: Francis Buckman
Historic District Map
Marker Text:
Circa 1903
728 Lewis
1830 - Part of Nathan Boone's survey of the Commons.
1875 - City map shows this property as part of the Riggs' subdivision of the Commons owned by
Dr. B. W. Rodgers who owned a large orchard near St. Charles.
1895 - 1902 - Tax records indicate the property was owned by Fred Hules Kemper.
1903 - Taxes were $100 paid for a 50 X 132' by Francis E. Buckman. The home was evidently built
at this time since the taxes went up to $500 in 1904.
The house was evidently built at this time. It is not known if Francis E. Buckman's husband
built the house, but John H. Buckman was a carpenter. It is a frame structure, originally
covered in narrow clapboard siding. The style is a Victorian Folk House with a gable front and
wing. The double doors nestled in the corner of the L-shaped porch are unique. There are a few
other examples in St. Charles.
1905 - Sandford Fire Map shows a foot print of the house.
1906 - The St. Charles City Directory of this date indicates John H. Buckman, working at American
Car and Foundry (A.C.F.) lived at this address with his wife Francis E.
1916 - 1917 - City Directory lists John H. Buckman (Carpenter) and his wife Fanny, Irvin Buckman
( Working at A.C.F.) his wife Marnie and Miss Dile.
1921 - As economics required others lived a this address. Frank Ostrop a blacksmith at A.C.F. and
his wife Isabella. Francis H. Buckman continues to pay the taxes till 1922. (18 years of single
family ownership).
1959 - The Earl O. and Dolores J. Feilner family owned the property until 1990. Mr. Feilner drove
tankers for various oil companies (30 years single family ownership).
1998 - The family who requested this Historic Marker purchased this home.
"According to the County's tax parcels database, this house was built in 1903. A plaque in the yard states that Francis Buckman paid taxes of $100 on this lot but in 1904 the taxes went up to $500, so the house was apparently built in 1903. Francis’ husband, John H. Buckman, was a carpenter and may have built the house. The 1906 city directory indicates that Mr. Buckman was employed by the
American Car and Foundry Co.
"Located on a flat corner lot, this 1½-story, frame L-shaped house is distinguished by its 1-story gallery that is nestled within the L and extends along part of both the front- and side-gabled wings. The house has a concrete foundation and walls clad with cement asbestos shingles, except the walls protected by the gallery are finished with vertical board siding. The cement asbestos shingles were likely added in the late 1940s or the 1950s. The steeply-pitched, cross-gabled roof is clad with asphalt roofing shingles and there is no chimney. The first floor of the 3-bay façade has a 1/1 double-hung wood window and a 4-panel wood door in the side-gabled wing and a 1/1 double-hung wood window on both the first floor and upper half story of the front-gabled wing. The L-shaped gallery has a concrete deck, wood balustrade with turned balusters, wood posts with capitals and bases, and a hip roof. The west elevation has a 1/1double-hung wood window on both levels, and the shed roof wing that spans the rear has another matching window in its west wall. This shed wing is shown on the 1917 Sanborn Insurance map, which is the earliest Sanborn map to show this block.
"A public sidewalk spans the front of this 50’x132’ lot, which is located at the northeast corner of Lewis and Eighth Streets. A concrete sidewalk leads from Lewis Street to the gallery, and to each side of the sidewalk and along the gallery are landscape beds. Shrubs are along the front and west side of the house and mature trees shade the yard. A wood picket fence encloses the rear yard and at the
northwest corner of the lost is a 1-story, frame, front-gabled, 2-car garage. The foundation is concrete and the walls are finished with cement asbestos shingles. Two paneled metal overhead doors on the west façade open onto Eighth Street. The garage appears to be more than 50 years old and is contributing." ~ St. Charles Historic Survey Phase IV, PDF pages 1083-1086