Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1899 — An Old Timer. [ARTICLE]

An Old Timer.

The building on Van Rensselaer street, south of Mrs. M, B. Alter’s place just torn down by Frank Wood, the present owner to make room for a new one, was one of the few “before-the-war” residences left in town. It was built and occupied by Samuel Bruner, a once well known and prominent resident, but how long before the war no one appears to know. The building was peculiar in its construction, as Mr. Bruaer evidently cleaned off his whole timber lot to get material for his sills and sleepers and had none left for joists, posts or scantlings. The sills and sleepers were enormous in dimensions, but above them were practically no framing timbers at all. The sides of the building were made of very wide poplar boards, standing on end, nailed directly to the sills below, and to 2 inch pieces at the top and second story. Inch strips were nailed inside to lath to. Thus the poplar boards not only covered the house but sustained it’ And this seemingly frail construction has stood solidly all these 40 or more years, and except where their lower ends touched the ground the poplar boards are still sound aud serviceable. Mr. Bruner, the builder, went west many years ago, and finally died in Texas. Few of his kith or kin survive ip this region, but Whitsei Lewis’ two oldest children are his grandchildren, and J, F. Bruner, of th'te Makeever House, is a nephew. He was quite an enterprising citizen and once owned a great deal of land around town, .but at a time when a man was bad off in proportion to the amount of land he owned. Previous to erecting the building above described he built what was famous in its day under the name of “Noah’s Ark.” It was a large building, for the .time, and stood on stilts, at the corner of Division and Cornelia streets, on lots now owned by Mis. Tuteur and Dr. Horton. The name “Noah’s Ark” was applied from the fact that, the region around the house was under water a good portion of the time.