Wallace W. Waterman Sod House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wallace W. Waterman Sod House
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 Location in Nebraska
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Big Springs, Nebraska |
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| Built | 1886, 1925 |
| Architect | Waterman, Wallace W. |
| NRHP reference No. | 95000096 |
| Added to NRHP | February 17, 1995 |
The Wallace W. Waterman Sod House is a special historic home located near Big Springs, Nebraska. It was built way back in 1886. A sod house is a type of home made from blocks of soil and grass, often used by pioneers on the High Plains where wood was scarce.
This house was updated in 1925 to keep it strong. They even put a layer of concrete on the outside walls! Because of its history, the house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1995. This means it's an important place to protect and remember.
Contents
Building a Sod House
Wallace W. Waterman and his wife, Libby King Waterman, moved to the Nebraska High Plains from Pennsylvania. In 1886, they built their sod house. It was located in a small settlement called Day, Nebraska.
The house was quite large for its time, measuring 25 by 29 feet. It had three rooms inside. The walls were very thick, about two feet wide, because they were made of sod.
Life in Day, Nebraska
The settlement of Day was a small community. Besides the Waterman house, there were three other homes. One was made of stone, one of wood, and another was also a sod house.
Day also had a Methodist church and a school. There was even a post office from 1890 to 1903. A few small businesses served the people living there. Today, the Waterman house is the only building left from the original settlement of Day.
Updates to the House
In 1925, the house was updated by Virgil and Helen Burke Waterman. These changes were made to protect the sod walls from falling apart. They added a new roof with a pointed shape, called a gable roof. The space under the roof was made into two bedrooms.
A porch was added to the south side of the house. They also dug a cellar under the kitchen. The outside walls were covered in concrete to make them stronger. Even with these updates, the house did not have running water. However, the kitchen did have a hand pump for water and a modern stove.
A Home for Generations
Members of the Waterman family lived in the house for a very long time. They called it home until 1989. In 1993, the house was given to the Deuel County Historical Society. The family wanted the house to be used for learning about history or for educational purposes.
Today, you can find a historical marker about the house. It is located nine miles south of the house in Big Springs. This marker helps people learn about this unique piece of history.
Other Sod Houses in Nebraska
In 1994, experts knew of 14 other sod houses still standing in the High Plains region of Nebraska. Most of these houses had their outside walls covered with stucco or concrete. This was done to protect them, just like the Waterman house. Only four of these sod houses were still being lived in at that time.
