Urban Exploring Trip #2 Isreal Beetison House, Ashland, NE

The Israel Beetison House located in Ashland Nebraska was quite an amazing find that also has a very interesting past.  The Israel Beetison House was built from 1874-1875. When Israel Beetison came to Nebraska in 1858, it was all prairie grass. He bought the land during the time when Abraham Lincoln was president, when land was being sold all over the the states for $1.50-$2.50 an acre. Israel took advantage of these prices and bought himself 160 acres of land. Some of that land today is now the Beetison family’s addition to the town of Ashland. Some of that land addition was used for farming and for cattle grazing. Israel Beetison had a family of 13 children, so they decided that they needed a bigger house. So they built the pure, hand-carved limestone house in 1874. The limestone that was used was carried by covered wagons before the quarries in South Bend and Louisville were created. The builders of the house hand-chiseled the limestone creating beautiful architecture. The walls are 18 inches thick and plastered on the inside, which left no room for air. Israel Beetison built a cupola on top of the house so that he could look out for Indians. Indians would come over for dinner at their house and they would also meet and trade goods. It was said that grandma Beetison would feed the Indians loaves of bread. The Beetison family has owned this house for 137 years. Israel Beetison lived in the house for 63 years before leaving it and the farm to his son Dwight. The house was honored with the Pioneer Farm Award in 1974 for it’s 100 years of agriculture and farm life. The house also was placed on the National Historic Registry in Lincoln and Washington, D.C. as well.  I have included pictures of the house from the past to present. I hope everyone enjoys this post because I'm super excited to share the information I have learned with you. Feel free to comment and share this page with others.