6225 Kratzville

6225 Kratzville View all images of 6225 Kratzville

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c1898

House is built

Location

Architecture

History

Comments

Janet and Ralph Pfettscher moved into their old farmhouse at 6225 Kratzville Road in 1969 and were faced with a failing septic system, an old coal furnace that they still refer to as "Big Bertha," and a well "that still has really good water in it," Ralph Pfettscher says. The abstract indicates the original 80-acre tract of land was deeded to Elwood and Delia Burtiss in 1827, when John Quincy Adams was president. According to the abstract, the Victorian Vernacular house most likely was built sometime before 1898 and appears to have been built by John Zwahlen. It changed hands several times in the mid to late 19th century, passing through families with old Evansville names like Kapperman, Laubscher, Schoenbachler, Guenther and Biederwolf. It underwent a protracted estate battle between 1929 and 1933 that included dozens of claimants. The real estate has been subdivided several times and occasionally in dog-legged fashion. An old barn that appears to belong to a residence two doors down from the Pfettschers actually is still on the Pfettscher property. "And there used to be a road back there, called Goldsmith Lane. It's totally gone now," Ralph Pfettscher says. The house has undergone numerous changes over the years. Pfettscher notes that for a time one front room was a barber shop, and the couple turned the second story into an apartment after their own children were grown.

See also

Research notes

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