Inside the Titanic - Winter 2010

David Lindamood (1962 - ) is creating a photo essay showing the restoration work inside the Lindamood Home. These photos show the present state of the old ship.

How About All That Plaster?

With the Lindamood Home wired top to bottom with "state of the art" security, it is about time to make the inside as nice as the outside. The videos show extensive damage to most of the plaster surfaces inside the home. The old leaky roof left the ceilings in bad shape. So the goal for this winter is to have all of the plaster work restored and painted to its original 1919 luster. Restoration photos to come.

Garfield's Wake

Garfield lives on.

Gary "Garfield" Eugene Lindamood, 62, of Decatur passed away on Sunday October 10, 2010. Gary was born on September 19, 1948 in St. Louis, MO the son of Eugene Wingate and June (Cook) Lindamood. He was a member of Sheet Metal Workers Local #265 from May of 1971 until February of 2006. He is survived by his son, Michael T. Lindamood (Jolene) of Sherwood, IL; sisters, Susan Kurzer (Robert) of Scottsdale, AZ; Sherry Childress of Surprise, AZ; Joy Lindamood of Decatur, IL; brothers, David Lindamood (Shelia) of Macon, IL; Kenneth "Kip" Hobbs of Decatur, IL; on granddaughter, Kylie Lindamood of Sherwood, IL; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, one daughter, Valerie Lindamood, two brothers, Marc Lindamood and William Thomas Lindamood. Funeral services will be 11:00 am Friday, October 15, 2010 in Moran & Goebel Funeral Home. Visitation will be one hour prior to service. Burial will be in Fairlawn Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society. The family of Gary "Garfield" Eugene Lindamood is being served by Moran & Goebel Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 2801 N. Monroe Street, Decatur, IL.

More Garfield Memories

Garfield Lindamood

Folks at the Lindamood Home ('66-'69)

The Lindamood Home was a happening place back in the late 1960s. 

A careful search of papers at the house did not turn up the Mad Magazine seen in the upper right photograph.

The photograph at lower left shows Eugene,William, Nellie, and Ray Lindamood standing outside the Lindamood Home in what appears to be a surprisingly mild January 1967 (more likely the pictures were taken in the Summer of 1966 and not developed for six months).

Relics of the Past

It is rumored that somewhere amongst the boxes of documents stored at the Lindamood Home lies an 1819 property deed signed by the first governor of Illinois.  While that document remains elusive, the "crown jewel" of the Lindamood Home is undoubtedly an 1830's painting of Joseph D. Long (1792-1875).  Long was the grandfather of Lindamood Home builder Francis Marion Camp, and the great grandfather of Nellie Camp.  He was born in Pennsylvania and is probably a descendant of the emigrant Christian Lang, born 1664 in Palatinate, Germany. 

We arranged to have the painting shipped to New York, where it currently awaits restoration.  The painting was actually in great condition for its first 175 years, but was damaged in October 2009 during the chaos of funeral arrangements for June Lindamood.  The wooden frame (not shown) in which the painting is set is an 1870s Eastlake frame and not the original.

                                        

The portrait of Joseph Long is an example of work by an itinerant painter, one of many who traveled town to town in the early days of the new country, before the invention of photography.  To expedite their work, many itinerant painters traveled with portraits earlier painted to completion in all aspects except for the face.  The Long portrait does appear to be more than simply a face.  The above circa 1870 photograph of Mr. Long, taken near the end of his life, shows him wearing a suit that looks to be a match for the one worn in the painting.

                             

Shown above are several indentures (deeds) for land in Macon County, Illinois.  Joseph Long obtained land in the Friends Creek area from the United States Government in 1836.  He deeded land in the 1850s and 60s to the husbands of two of his daughters, Emily Jane (1831-1909) and Ottilia (1829-1908).  The son of Samuel Camp (1829-1887) and Emily Jane is Lindamood Home builder Francis Marion Camp.   

                         

A close-up shot of Joseph D. Long's signature on one of the indentures.  

 

     

Garfield's Spotless House

Have a seat.

On the new front porch.

Beautiful sunlight.

A nice collection.

Tom Sawyer couldn't have painted it any better.

You guessed it.  Garfield was here!

Trim Painted and Brand New Front Porch!

There is something addictive about watching a house restored.  Whatever it is, it is enhanced by the springtime scene that is taking place in the background.  While ProMax did a nice job on the roof and dormers, real Lindamoods worked on the house this time.  David Lindamood (1962 - ) and Garfield Lindamood (1948 - ) built a brand new porch.  And check out the fine job painting the wood on the windows and side door posts and the porch roof.  While ProMax aims to minimize upkeep effort, this often means covering most everything with aluminum.  It is nice that some of the original wood details are preserved, even if it means painting every so often.

The city is replacing water pipes in the neighborhood.

Spring has truly arrived. 

Alright!

 Nice frame.

Coming together.

Buried treasure.

Oh boy.  That's 24 hours of hard labor ahead.

138 Looking Great - Exterior Only Needing Trim and Window Paint

The house is coming along great.  It is almost hard to recognize the place these days. 

Gary Lindamood made a good call with the brown downspouts.  They match the brick facade brilliantly

.

Eugene Lindamood and June Lindamood rest in peace.

Raising the Titanic

Still to come....gutters, downspouts, additional siding on front dormer, trim around windows.

Progress on the Roof

The Lindamood Home facelift in progress.

Is This the Original Deed to the Land for The Lindamood Home?

163+ acres of land were deeded to Samuel Camp (1829-1887) on December 28, 1864. Apparently it was extra land set aside by the State of Illinois for a public school, but not needed and auctioned off. The purchase price was $1185.98. 

Update:  This deed is for land in Friends Creek, in northeastern Macon County.  Many of the Camps are buried in the cemetery at Friends Creek.

Bob Bradley's Story

Bob Bradley (left) with mom Bessie Bradley and brother Dick Bradley at 138 E.Division in 1935.

Start with the Roof

After meeting with several contractors, we decided on ProMax, a local Decatur company.  For $17,000 we get the following:

Repair masonry on both chimneys, tuckpointing.
Tear the old roof material off down to the rafters.
Repair the rafters by sistering on weak trusses.
Add batt insulation, loose fill, and a moisture guard.
OSB panels - roof sheathing.
30lb felt
Seamless gutters
Five roof vents
AWA Plan rubber ice and water dam
Architectural shingles
Aluminum siding on the dormer windows
New double-hung dormer windows on the front and back

Work begins on March 20th.

Then and Now

Who lives at the Lindamood Home today?  The builder's grandson, Bob Bradley (1930 - ).

The two pictures were taken 73 years apart. 

Gary Lindamood (1948 - ) standing in the doorway inside the Lindamood Home in 1969.

William Lindamood (1888 - 1976) relaxes in a rocking chair

in front of the hearth in the Lindamood Home in 1920.

Erica Lindamood (1987 - ) and Eugene Lindamood (1922 - 1999)

in front of the same fireplace in 1989.