Wurst restoring grandparent’s home

By Nancy Spencer, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Tuesday, August 5, 2008 (4 months ago)
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DELPHOS — She had always wanted to cook in her grandma’s kitchen. Saturday, she got her chance.
Linda Wurst made up pots of her “famous” potato soup, chicken noodle and goulash and offered it up to Marbletown Festival-goers.
“It felt so good to cook in grandma’s kitchen,” Wurst began. “I found an old gas stove and an old refrigerator and one of my brothers found a wonderful old sink. It’s not exactly like it was but it’s close.”
Wurst, who lives in Van Wert now, heard the South Bredeick Street home of her grandparents, Jim and Ethel Fair, was for sale. She jumped at the chance to own a piece of her heritage.
Documents also indicate at least the property was once owned by Col. Marble, founder of Marbletown.
Since she purchased the home, Wurst has been working to restore the residence to what she remembers as a child.
“My husband and I and other family members worked as fast as we could to get as far as we could for this weekend,” Wurst said Saturday. “We still have a ways to go but we’re getting there. It should be finished for the festival next year.”
Friends and relatives toured the home and marveled at the history Wurst was able to gather, including pictures and memorabilia to add personal touches to the home.
“The bedrooms are set up much as they were when my mom lived here. It was a very small house for the family, so there was a lot of sharing and closeness,” she added.
An old pair of shoes sits under one bed, while an heirloom quilt covers another. A china cabinet holds several pieces from Wurst’s grandmother.
Some attention was also paid to the outside of the home.
“I painted the outside terra cotta and by the side door sits a rooster with a fair stick. My grandmother had chickens and an old rooster made it a challenge to gather eggs, so whoever was going out to the henhouse carried a stick to keep the rooster away,” Wurst explained.
The home was built in 1880 and later a kitchen and bedroom were added. The home is built from concrete blocks and Wurst believes they were custom-made as no two are alike.
“The only time I thought ‘What is this crazy thing I’m doing?’ was when I took the wall covering down in the dining room and the blocks were exposed,” Wurst added. “Other than that, it has been a labor of love.”

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