Preservation of the Essen Log Cabin

So glad to hear of the preservation of the Essen log cabin.

Following the Civil War, Missouri was no longer a slave state and with the war over, the economy was booming. The Essen family, from Germany, had saved enough funds, and migrated to Missouri where Rudolph Essen (1828-1897) would buy a farm and build a log cabin in a settlement called  Melrose, at the edge of St. Louis County, in today’s Wildwood. He lived there with his wife, Ellen, and children John, Rudolph,  Allen, Katherine, William and Erich. Their neighbor, George Etherton, gave the road they lived on his name. Arriving in 1869, business was good. By 1870, Essen considered himself a shoemaker and a boat maker. Commerce and opportunity  had attracted thousands of Germans westward just like Essen.

 

In 2015, sisters Ruth Martin Karst and Patricia Martin Schoenbeck asked Wildwood City and its Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) to allow a donation of the Essen log cabin for public use, in memory of their grandparents, William and Clara Tegethoff, who purchased the property where the cabin was located for a country retreat in 1928.

 

 

Dating back to the 1870s, this historic structure originally stood on a hill along Eatherton Road for more than 140 years before being gifted to the city in 2015 for community use. Unfortunately, before the city could properly document and relocate it, thieves stole parts of the structure. While approximately 50 logs were eventually recovered, the cabin’s roof, foundation, and windows were found abandoned on the property with irreparable damage.

 

Now, however, the historic Essen Log Cabin has been preserved and will find a new home in the city’s developing Village Green. Wildwood recently accepted contractor proposals for rebuilding the cabin, which has remained in storage for over a decade.

In 2019, the city commissioned a local architectural firm to conduct historical research and create preliminary reconstruction plans. Currently, city officials are in discussions with two of four bidders to identify the most qualified contractor. This matter will undergo further review by the Planning and Parks Committee.

Additionally, the city seeks to engage a consultant for developing a Historic Preservation Plan that will incorporate preservation initiatives into broader master planning efforts.

Through comprehensive community engagement, the plan aims to enhance preservation strategies for Wildwood’s historic buildings, including community centers, churches, schoolhouses, businesses, and other significant sites. A Route 66 revitalization component will be included, along with funding objectives.