The legacy of Hortense Pautsch

**These historic items, which once belonged to Hortense Pautsch, need a new sponsor to manage their upkeep.** Photos by Dan Mundt

The Dow City Community Club is looking for an individual or group to take over care and maintenance of three historic items located at the Dow City Park.

A railroad caboose, an authentic rural school and the original Dow City Jail were moved to the park in 1990 following an effort by the community club and local residents to raise funds for the purchase of the historic artifacts.

Dustin Durbin, president of the Dow City Community Club, said the City of Dow City recently told the community club that the club owns the items and is responsible for their upkeep.

The issue came up when an individual presented a fairly substantial bill for maintenance work to the city.

“It came up that it’s not really the city’s responsibility to pay for the upkeep and insurance,” Durbin said. “At the community club, we did our roof project (on the Community Club Building) and that really took a lot of our funds, so when it comes to asking how much we can give or donate, we really don’t have the funds to do that.”

Upkeep of the park display will take a significant amount of funds going forward, he said.

The community club doesn’t receive any funds from the park display and no tours of the display have been conducted for many years, Durbin said.

On a Facebook post about the issue, several individuals suggested the park display items could be moved to the Dow House area in Dow City.

Vail archaeologist Christy Rickers said the Dow House is on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and that placement of unrelated structures there would compromise its integrity because they do not fit within the historic narrative that qualifies the Dow House for the NRHP. She said placing several historically-unrelated buildings by the Dow House would turn it into a “building zoo,” which is undesirable.

“We want to save them and keep them in Dow City,” Durbin said. “We need a group willing to keep up with the needs of the buildings and maybe even get back to showing tours.”

According to stories printed in the Denison Bulletin and Review between 1970 and 1990, the caboose, jail building and schoolhouse were originally the property of elementary school teacher Hortense Pautsch, who displayed them for the public to see on her farm south of Arion.

She purchased the 1909 Rock Island Railroad caboose, called “Peek-a-Boose,” in 1970.

In 1979, she purchased the schoolhouse, which had been located in Battle Creek.

She added the jail, which was Dow City’s original jail, to her collection in 1980.

Pautsch and others spent many hours restoring the artifacts.

Among other items, she displayed a fire truck and a recreation of an old country store on her farm.

Hundreds of people, including many schoolchildren, visited her exhibits over the years.

Pautsch died in 1989 at age 81.

**This 1909 Rock Island Railroad caboose was purchased by Hortense Pautsch in 1970 and was originally located on her farm near Arion.**

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**Pautsch purchased this schoolhouse, which was located near Battle Creek, in 1979.**

The Dow City Community Club and residents made an effort to purchase some of the larger items from her farm at the estate auction that September.

The club purchased the three large items along with desks and the school’s bell.

The Crawford County Secondary Road staff helped move the caboose to Dow City.

Earlier this week, a farm family offered to take the park exhibit items.

Durbin said that offer would be discussed at a January 29 meeting at Two Doors Down in Dow City.

Connie Garrett, a Dow City council member, will be the city liaison at the meeting, which will be for anyone interested in the future of the park display items.

Garrett has stated that the items may remain on the park property, but the city would like to see a committee or group formed to take on providing insurance and upkeep of the property, Durbin said.