New room to tour in Case House
By Jennifer Archibald Staff writer

Room with a view The new children's bedroom in the Case House has two windows that overlook the canal. Comet photo by Jennifer Archibald

Visitors to the Reed Case House at Canal Park this weekend will see a newly restored children's bedroom.

Among the furnishings in the upstairs room are two rope beds, a child's rocker, and a doll buggy. White children's garments are laid out on the beds.

Giving the room warmth are a tattered quilt, woven wool coverlet, an oil lamp on a stand, and a fireplace.

An ornate clock sits on the mantel, and time stands still in this room from the canal period. The canal can be seen through the two curtained windows.

Oriental rugs on the floor are reminders of the goods that arrived in Delphi by way of the canal.

The children's room is the latest example of how the Case House has been carefully restored - room by room. The public has been able to watch the restoration progress over time.

"We have been very fortunate to have sponsors for the various rooms," said Annadell Lamb, board member of the Wabash & Erie Canal Association and chairman of the Reed Case House committee. "The sponsors have contributed in various ways: basic furnishings, money, and/or 'sweat equity' by cleaning, repairing and painting."

Jim and June Davis stepped forward to sponsor the children's room. The Davises are the ones who donated the Case House to the Canal Association. It was moved from Front Street to Canal Park in 1986.

Lamb said every effort has been made to restore original elements of the house, both on the exterior and the interior.

"We had an art conservator determine the wall finishes," Lamb said. "She found that the original colors on the woodwork in the children's room were two shades of blue. Artist Terry Lacy helped mix color samples to match, and we used them for painting this room."

"Much credit goes to Gordon Stevens who spent hours scraping off old flaking paint, repairing plaster walls and ceiling and replacing missing plank floor boards. He was assisted in this work and all the painting by Al Auffart of Cutler.

Furnishings for the children's bedroom came from the Davises, Conner Prairie, Marilyn Mann, Annadell Lamb, Martha Justice, and from the Lewis and Hazel Mullin collection and Jack Wroten collection - all as donations. An ornate wooden shelf donated by the Davises is reported to be from the office of the first attorney in Carroll County.

"Our next step is to line up some volunteers who are willing to learn how to string the ropes on the beds and then to find feather ticks and quilts to put on the two beds," Lamb said.

Other restored rooms in the house include an entry hall, two parlors, the kitchen, two other bedrooms, and a sewing room. There is still one room left to be renovated and furnished.

The 1844 Federal-style house was built by Reed Case, the contractor in charge of building the canal through Delphi. It once served as a canal inn.

The Case House will be

open for tours during Canal Days, July 7 and 8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Open for tours
Reed Case House - Canal Park, Delphi
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Canal Days - July 7 and 8 - Free admission