- Nestled in a quiet neighborhood in Morton sits one of the city's oldest homes. Built in 1917, the two-story brick bungalow at 218 N. Third Street has been branded a historic home in Morton.
Though it may not be the oldest in the neighborhood, there is something unique about this residence that sets it apart from the rest. After a century, the home is on only its second owner, and has remained in the family for which it was built.
Albert Stetzler, builder and original owner, moved into the home with his wife Rosina and three children (a son and two daughters) in the fall of 1917. His fourth child, William, was born in the house just six weeks later. Four more children, another boy and three girls, followed over the next 11 years. All of them were born in an upstairs bedroom.
The youngest three including Caroline, Helen and Eileen, are the last remaining children of Albert and Rosina Stetzler. On a beautiful August afternoon, the ladies sat in frontof the home where they spent their childhoods and enjoyed reminiscing about -he house and their family's history.
"Dad had his dream," Eileen said. "He came over from Germany, Mom said he had only a couple dollars in his pocket."
Albert Stetzler was born in Germany in October 1884. He immigrated to the United States in January 1905 at the age of 20. His Aunt Sophie and Uncle Fred Elsasser sponsored Albert's move to the states, and he lived with them in Morton until his marriage to Rosina in 1910.
Albert was a carpenter by trade, and eventually owned his own business building homes and businesses in the Morton and Peoria area for years, some of which can be found on Grandview Drive and Moss Avenue in Peoria.
When Albert's three sons turned 16, they joined him in the family business. The company, A. Stetzler and Sons, thrived until World War II began. Albert retired, and the construction business came to a halt when his three sons left to serve their country. Business picked up again in late 1945 when the boys came back from the war.
Albert passed away in 1946 at the age of 61. In 1978, the brothers changed the name to "Stetzler Builders". Their construction business remained in operation until they sold it to Zeller Electric in the late 1980's.
The four-bedroom house on Third Street seemed to always be a hub of activity, and a place where the Stetzler sisters harbor fond memories of family dinners, their mother's fabulous cooking, swinging on the porch swing and sleeping on the front porch on hot summer evenings. There were also some surprises over the years.
All the children were spaced two years apart. That pattern was broken when Eileen came along. "She came on as a little surprise," Helen snickered. "Eileen is four years younger than I. In that four years' time, my family kept telling me that was the baby of the family. (My brother) Willie kept saying to me, 'what if; just what if (you aren't the baby)?' Mom assured me I was gonna be the baby of the family. Then one morning (sisters) Margaret and Hannah took me in Mom's room and said, 'I want to show you something'."
Helen pointed to Eileen and continued, "That one was lying in bed right next to her!" Helen remembered with a laugh, "I wouldn't go back in that room for another two weeks, because I didn't wnat to look at her!"
That's a story that Eileen claimed she heard for the first time just a few years ago.
"But we became good friends," she said of her sister.
Even after all eight children were grown and married, a few of them had a turn to move in with their mother for a bit. "Addie and her husband (Arthur Stetzler) moved here when Grandma was by herself; and they had six children, so they filled up the house pretty full, too," said Sandi (Stetzler) Burrier, daughter
of William Stetzler.
"Addie needed a bigger house, and by that time I had married and we built, so mom was in this house alone," remembered Eileen. "So then Mom said 'well, maybe Addie, Art and I can just trade houses'. So, that's how it happened that it stayed in the family."
Addie, now widowed, still lives there today. Other than a few changes made in the kitchen with the addition of more cabinetry, the ladies said the house pretty much looks the same as it did so many years ago, which includes built-in bookcases between the living and dining rooms, and a hardwood staircase just inside the front door.
There is a saying that goes, "Home is where your story begins". After 100 years, it doesn't appear as though the Stetzler family home has an end. That's quite airight with the Stetzler children and grandchildren, who would undoubtedly be happy if it carried through more generations. Between its century-old history and the many memories its walls hold, the home is obviously very near and dear to their hearts. "I love the porch, the swing," said Eileen. "I love this house."
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Waller-Joos-Stetzler
1917 - 1998 (80 years)
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