Berger Hill Building Projects
Berger Homestead
There had been a fire in the small house before John and Mary purchased it in 1865. Therefore the house had to be remodeled or rebuilt before John & Mary moved in.
The deep cellars below the east side of the house indicate that the area above was the original house. As the family grew there were several additions. I believe the room on the southwest, the bedroom above, and the west stairway was the 1st addition. Aunt Theresa said that the Kitchen, the bed room above and the 2nd floor bath room was the last addition.
We don't know when the summer kitchen and the back porch were added, but they were there in 1899.
(photos)
Carriage House, Sleeping quarter, Barn
Near the entrance at the bottom of the hill a structure stone structure was built with a barn on the ground lever, a sleeping area above and a shed for the carriage was built. This structure is pictured in 1899. We do not know when it was built.
(photo)
(sketch)
Barn on the circle
A 2 story wood barn stood on the south side of the circle in 1899. It had an out house on the outside of the southeast corner. We do not know when it was built. It was taken down in the 1950s.
(photo)
Nauni's house
We have no record of when this small one room house was built, I would guess it was shortly after Nauni arrived on the Hill. By 1940 the house was gone, only the stone foundation remained.
Eckerle Homestead
Around the time of their marriage in 1895 the Eckerle home was built. A carriage house was built on Queen City Avenue below their house.
(story)
(photos)
Swimming Pool
John Eckerle had the pool built in 1910.
(the story)
(pool photos)
By the 1920s here was a metal framework and awning above the pool so that the ladies would not get a suntan. This was gone by 1928. In 1928 there was a post and light fixture next to the pool. It was gone by the early 1930s. Up to the 1930s the pool had a railing all around it and down the steps as it was originally built.
During the 1940s a water filtration system was added and it was no longer necessary to scrub the pool weekly and fill it through a fire hose from the hydrant up near the barn on the circle. And the railing on the north side of the pool was removed.
In the early 1950s low stone walls and a concrete walk was installed on the north side of the pool.
By 2015 a walk and bench was added to the south side of the pool.
Chicken Coop & Picnic Tables
During the 1930s when the Wally and Elsa Meyer, Wally and Jean Sheblessy, the Franz and Herb Trefzgers began to spend a lot of weekday evenings and Saturdays and Sundays on the hill the grass was cut with a hand pushed lawn mower, the old chicken coop (which had been made into dressing rooms) was cleaned up and picnic tables were built.
(chicken coop in late 1930s)
(picnic tables)
Lodge
Wally Sheblessy designed and with the help of Wally Meyer built the lodge building in 1940. Originally the lodge contained the men's dressing room on the north, and the women's on the south ends of the building.
After the bath house was built in 1949 the two interior walls in the lodge were removed, and the bar built on the north end.
During the 1970s a wide deck was built over the narrow concrete sidewalk in front of the lodge.
Over the years Fred & David Berger have replaced floor joists, subflooring, footings and supporting beams.
Fred installed new wood flooring cut from Rick Rooney’s property.
(lodge photos)
Bath House
In 1949 Wally Sheblessy designed the new dressing rooms and again he and Wally Meyer built them.
(bathhouse photos)
Sidewalk on north side of the pool and Grill
In 1950 Wally Meyer and Wally Sheblessy put in the sidewalk on the north side of the pool and built the stonework in the area. Wally Meyer built a large stone grill northof the lodge.
(photo)
(photo)
Carriage House on the circle
In 1988 Fred Berger had Wally Sheblessy design the new carriage house and apartment on the circle. Fred had the shell and exterior built. He and David finished the interior.
(photo) (photo) (link)
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