The original part of the house is most likely the central I-house that runs parallel to Route 136 and has a full poured basement underneath, with the floor joists originally serving as the interior form for the concrete. The front I-house was added with a crawl space, possibly at a later date. The rear kitchen and bathroom were added more recently. At one point a porch wrapped around the north and west sides of the building. This can be faintly seen in the 1954 aerial photo.
The earliest record of the house was a 1893 plat book which showed the small darkened square indicating the presence of a house just to the east of the town of Gifford. At that time the property was part of 80 acres owned by J.H. Braden. I haven’t had luck finding additional info on him.
By 1913, it was owned by Andreas (“Henry”) Eilers (1868-1933). Andreas came to America in 1875 as a 5 year old with his parents (Dirk and Antje) and four sisters (Ricka (Rika Miller, 1861-1948), Almuth (Almamuth Raup, 1863-1935), Emma (Emma Duitsman, 1865-1951), and Ockje (Ockje Lena Parks?)), via Ellis Island. His name is the second to last on this page of the ship’s manifest.
Despite owning this property in 1917, it appears the Andreas “Henry” Eilers family was living just north of the property, renting from Mary Warburton. According to the Prairie Farmer’s Directory of Champaign County (1915), Andreas had married Mary Lohmiller. Their children at that time were Annie (Antje Osterbur, 1898-1978), Dora (Dora Wolken, 1899-1979), and John Dirk Eilers (1903-1978).
In the 1930s, the property was expanded to 121 acres and owned by Henry’s son, John D. Eilers who maintained ownership through at least 1967.
1954 aerial (bottom right)
1985 Bertha Eilers (wife of John D., 1908-1999)
In the Gifford Tornado of 2013, the house saw some minor damage. Thanks to the mortgage crisis that was going on at the same time there was confusion about who had insurance on the house and it may have not been insured at the time of the tornado. The owners at that time left the house and allowed the bank to foreclose on it. The present owner purchased the house in 2016 and started incremental improvements including a new roof, plumbing, and HVAC. Additional updates including interior painting and refinishing continue.
