Janet Myers knew long ago that she wanted to purchase the Old Rock House, a 157-year-old historic home on Old Lemay Ferry Road in Arnold.
“Before they had built anything here and Old Lemay Ferry was just an old cow path, I drove by, saw it, and said to myself, ‘I want that house,’” Myers said.
The Old Rock House may be the oldest building still standing in Arnold. The U.S. originally deeded the property where the house stands to August Choteau and Antoine Soulard, according to the book, Historic Arnold, Jefferson County, Missouri, 1876 – 1976.
John Michael Frederitzi purchased 160 acres of the property on Nov. 21, 1855, from Stephen and Catherine Smith, who possibly were his grandparents. His father, John Francis Frederitzi, who emigrated from France, married Margarita Smith, an American.
“In 1858, (John Michael Frederitzi) commissioned a Mr. Schwalbert to build this stone home with the help of two slave laborers. The two slaves were a wedding gift from (Frederitzi’s) wife Cynthia’s father, John Richardson,” according to the history book.
The limestone was quarried locally and the two-and-a-half story building took two years to build.
The Frederitzis moved in with their three children – Louis, John and Fannie – in 1860. Four more children – MaryAnn, Louise, William and Margaret were born in the house, according to the book.
John Michael Frederitzi died in 1903. His wife, Cynthia, died in 1914. She is buried in Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Arnold.
Others who owned the home include Mr. and Mrs. Fred Blank, who purchased the home and land in 1920. Their son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Blank, also lived in the house. Fred Blank then sold the home to Mr. and Mrs. Clemens Vogel. In 1948, James Boyd and his wife purchased it. In 1960, Mr. and Mrs. Billy Brown purchased the house.
In 1984, the Old Rock House came up for sale again, and Myers bought it from the Browns, she said.
Myers said she had a lot of work to do before she could move in.
“I had to tear everything out to bring it up to code,” she said.
All the interior walls had to come down. The wiring had to be replaced. New plumbing had to be installed.
Between the 18-inch rock walls and the plaster, there was no insulation. The attic, however, was insulated – with horse hair, Myers said.
Behind the interior walls were a few treasures – some old electrical insulators, some square nails and a letter.
Historian Bernie Wilde said it’s possible the letter was from Buffalo Bill Cody, who married Margaret Louisa Frederitzi on March 6, 1866. She may have been a sister to John Michael Frederitzi.
The letter, much of it in pieces, came from Butte City, Montana, and was dated March 7, 1892. In it, the writer said, “Sister Maggie, received your unopened letter on Thursday. I didn’t expect one so soon.”
The content of the letter went on to talk about high prices and relatives, some who were living in the desert and some who were drinking too much.
Wilde said it’s also possible the letter was written by one of John Michael and Cynthia Frederitzi’s children because they had a daughter named Margaret, too, and Mrs. Cody primarily went by her middle name, Louisa. Research is ongoing, Wilde said.
Myers donated the letter with some other items to the Arnold Historical Society.
She worked to restore the house but also updated portions of it. The house has seven rooms and four stone fireplaces. The basement underneath the house is little more than a cellar, good only for doing laundry, she said.
But it also holds a secret.
“It’s covered with concrete now, but in the basement there was a tunnel that went straight up the hill,” Myers said.
She said the tunnel may have provided an escape in case of an Indian attack. Stone walls also had slots where rifles could be aimed at attackers.
The property has been whittled down over the years from 160 acres to just more than 2 acres. On the land is a foundation of a church that once stood on the property, Myers said.
The Old Rock House will soon be put up for sale again because Myers plans to return to her hometown in Lebanon.
Myers said living in the historic Old Rock House has been a joy.
“It’s been wonderful,” she said. “You don’t know you’re in the city.”
Myers, who is retired from the insurance business, said she loves old houses and loved “sitting on the porch swing and listening to birds.”
She also enjoyed the view from the home’s second-story balcony.
“You see that oak tree there,” she said pointing to a gargantuan oak. “It must be over 200 years old.”
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