NRHP Evaluation of the Hulda Retzlaff Otto Property
The evaluation of this historic property was conducted by the UNL Department of Anthropology following its inadvertent omission by On-Site Photography during the historical survey of the Lincoln South and East Beltways Historic Survey Report (Elliot and Dirr 1998). Every attempt was made to insure that survey techniques and evaluations remained consistent with Elliot and Dirr's earlier report.
The following report briefly describes the history of property located in the NE ¼ SE ¼ SW ¼ of Section 4 Township 9 North, Range 8 East. In addition, history of the Lemke Family, the original homesteaders of this property, is summarized as it applies to the property east of 138th Street and north of Pioneers Boulevard.
The property that this house is located on was granted to Mary E. Lemke by Patent from the United States Government in 1869. Mary E. Lemke was the wife of John Lemke I who arrived in Lancaster County in 1859. John Lemke accompanied his brother-in-law Charles F. Retzlaff to Nebraska from Wisconsin. Both men were immigrants from Germany, and both settled in the Steven's Creek area.
A sketch map (Figure 1) included in the "Genealogy of the Lemke Family" (Smith and Krone 1972) indicates that Lemke and his family lived in a dugout in the NW ¼ of the SW ¼ of Section 4, Township 9 North, Range 8 East, or west of 138th Street. Records examined at the Lancaster County Registrar of Deeds support that location as the original homestead granted to John Lemke by Patent from the United States Government in 1861. A log house later followed this dugout (Smith and Krone 1972).
Census records dated 1860 indicate that John Lempke (sic) held 30 acres of improved land and 130 acres of unimproved land. He estimated the value of his farm to be $400 and the value of his farming implements at $25. As of July 31, 1860, Mr. Lemke owned 2 milk cows, 2 working oxen and one swine whose estimated combined value was $100.
John Lemke died in 1865 while fighting a prairie fire, or as the result of injuries suffered while fighting a prairie fire. He is buried in the Retzlaff family cemetery located on the Stevens Creek Stock Farm. As mentioned previously, his widow, Mary E. Lemke, applied for and was granted the patent to the property in question following his death. Undoubtedly, the Lemkes were farming and making improvements upon the area near the Hulda Otto House, as the property included in Mary Lemke's patent grant of 1869 comprised the remainder of the SW ¼ of Section 4-9-8.
Mary E. Lemke transferred this property to her son John Lemke Jr. in 1877. John Lemke Jr. continued to farm this property, and the 1880 Agricultural Census records indicate that he held 115 acres of tilled land, 8 acres of woodland, and 117 acres of unimproved land. The farm value at this time was estimated at $5000, and crops grown included corn, wheat, oats and beans. Livestock included milk cows, swine, chickens and one sheep.
According to Smith and Krone (1972), John Lemke Jr. lived with his wife Mary at "John Lemke Senior's old home place". The sketch map (Smith and Krone 1972) indicates that John Lemke Jr. (John Lemke II following the birth of John Lemke III in 1881) lived at the same location as the Hulda Otto House (Figure 1). This map depicts both the "original Lemke dugout" (presumably the John Lemke Sr. dugout) and the Hulda Otto House. The Hulda Otto House is situated east of the dugout in this depiction. This information suggests that perhaps John Lemke Sr. began or completed construction of a second residence by the time of his death in 1865. One possibility is that the Lemkes, prior to construction of the frame house, used the well-constructed cellar of the Hulda Otto House as a temporary residence.
Records at the Registrar of Deeds in Lancaster County indicate this property was deeded to George W. Retzlaff (son of Charles Retlzaff) in 1907 by Minnie E. Guthmann, a daughter of John Lemke II.
Information supplied to the National Trust for Historic Preservation (letter dated 02/09/99) indicates that the house currently known as the "Hulda Otto House" was built for Hulda Otto and she resided there upon her marriage to Oscar W. Otto in 1917.
The original construction date of the Hulda Otto House is unclear, but architectural details suggest that it was constructed sometime ca. 1890 - 1910. The Hulda Otto House meets the minimal age requirement of 50 years to be considered eligible to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). However, it does not retain a significant amount of integrity and is not the best representative of a small farm within the South and East Beltways Study Area as defined by Eliott and Dirr (1998).
While intriguing, the possibility could not be substantiated that some members of the John Lemke family resided in what is now the cellar of the Hulda Otto House. Therefore, an argument for eligibility based on the association of an early settler in Lancaster County cannot be supported.
The association of George Retzlaff, and thereby Charles Retzlaff while locally interesting, does not itself contribute to the potential eligibility of this property. The life and contributions of Charles Retzlaff and the Retzlaff Family are better represented by the inclusion of the Stevens Creek Stock Farm-Mardale Farm (LC00:E-88) which is located approximately 0.5 mile north of the Hulda Otto property. The Stevens Creek Stock Farm is currently listed on the NRHP. By 1907, the date of acquisition of this property by the Retzlaff's, the Stock Farm is well established The Hulda Otto property fails to meet eligibility requirements for inclusion within the Stevens Creek Stock Farm-Mardale Farm nomination.
Hulda Otto appears to have led a full and productive life, similar to other women living on farms throughout Lancaster County. However, no specific event or outstanding contribution to the history of Lancaster County could be documented. In addition, no information was gleaned through historical research or through conversations with family members that could contribute to our increased understanding of the role of women in the establishment and development of a permanent agricultural community in Lancaster County beyond what information is already available through archival research.
In summary, while this property meets the minimal age requirement for consideration of eligibility to the NRHP, it lacks elements necessary for listing on the NRHP. This property is not the best representative of a small farm in the area, and no significant association to the period of significance of the Stevens Creek Stock Farm could be made. In addition, the life of Hulda Otto, the primary resident of this property, was undoubtedly important to her family but was no more or less significant in terms of National Register eligibility than were other farm wives of her period. As such, this property is recommended not eligible to the NRHP.
References Cited
Elliot, Mark and Melissa Dirr
1998 Lincoln South and East Beltways Historic Survey Report. Prepared for Olsson Environmental Sciences, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Smith, Helen and Faye Krone
1972 Geneaology of the Lemke Family.
Revised -- 1/21/00