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The Conrad Laufersweiler home

904 3rd Avenue South

The Laufersweiler home at 904 3rd Ave. S. dates its history back to the early years of Fort Dodge. Original portion of the house was built in 1866 by Conrad C. Laufersweiler, a pioneer businessman of the city.

In 1892 the home was enlarged to its present size and modernized. It was occupied by members of the Laufersweiler family until the death of Elsie Laufersweiler in 1969. The property is now owned by Grace Lutheran Church and presently is leased to the Blanden Federation of Arts which conducts art classes there and operates the Hand Art Shop in a portion of the house. There is also a ceramics art shop with a potter’s wheel in the basement.

The two-story house is of brick construction with stucco exterior. It has five rooms and two baths on the first floor and seven rooms and two baths on the second floor. An open stairway with oak railing and spindles leads from the first to the second floor.

Laufersweiler came to Des Moines from his native Germany in 1854 and spent two years there. In 1856 he traveled to Fort Dodge on the Charles Rogers, the Des Moines River steamboat that plied between Keokuk and Fort Dodge in those early years. For a time he lived in one of the original fort buildings here.

On arrival in Fort Dodge Laufersweiler started a furniture and undertaking business. He was an experienced cabinet maker and made most of his furniture by hand. Three sons—William J., John and Charles—later joined him in the business.

The furniture business was located on the south side of Central Avenue between Sixth and Seventh Streets. It was discontinued in 1929, but the undertaking business has continued since its establishment and is now operated by Welch Laufersweiler.

There were 10 children in the Laufersweiler family—five sons, William J., John, Charles, Albert and Frank; and five daughters, Mary, Bertha, Kitty and twins Edith and Elsie. Mary was the only one of the daughters who married. Her husband was Gustav Hilton and their son is Conrad Hilton, the internationally known hotel magnate who visited Fort Dodge in 1953 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Chamber of Commerce.

Hilton was guest speaker at that time at an elaborate banquet in the Hotel Warden ballroom. While in the city he was a guest of his aunts at the Laufersweiler home.