Latham Log House renovations complete

By Laura Schiermeier, Staff Writer
Posted 12/31/19

VIENNA — Jim Hale of Hale Construction and his good helper, Dale Wieberg, completed their work at the Historical Society of Maries County (HSMC) museum complex as the year 2019 came to a close. …

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Latham Log House renovations complete

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VIENNA — Jim Hale of Hale Construction and his good helper, Dale Wieberg, completed their work at the Historical Society of Maries County (HSMC) museum complex as the year 2019 came to a close. Their last project was new oak siding and other renovations on the 164-year-old Latham Log House.

Some of the HSMC board members met with Hale and Wieberg last week and had a walk-through with them as they explained the work they’ve done. The two men are good problem solvers when making repairs and renovations to old buildings. The board members were complimentary of their work, noting the special attention to detail with keeping water out of the building and the addition of the dental molding, the trim they put at the top of the siding on the buildings they worked on. Hale said they also added metal above the windows, which was not there before but he said they needed to add it to keep the top of the windows from getting wet and rotting. They also made new shutters out of cedar. They even hand carved a pole for the old bell in the yard.

The board members all like how the new siding looks and the protection it will provide the building as they stopped up holes where birds were getting inside and doing damage. Hale joked that all of the bird hay they got out from under the old siding and in those holes was enough “to feed cows for a few days.” They even trapped and hauled away and released three skunks.

The historic building still shows the original log construction as the  front of the building, which is covered by a roof, was not sided. The original house was built in 1855, the year Maries County became a Missouri county. It was built by Dr. Valsain Gaylove Latham, who received his medical training from Native Americans. It contains the Bowles Collection. The stones for the chimney on the Latham House are from Greatwood, the Bowles mansion that once proudly stood on the Bowles property along Highway Z at Lanes Prairie.

The home has been moved three times and now permanently resides at the Old Jail Museum Complex in Vienna. It was constructed with large timbers and half-dovetail notches. The original log house was held together with mud and plaster. The plaster on the inside contained horsehair.

The HSMC members need to do more work inside the buildings with the exhibits to prepare to host tours again at the complex in 2020.