Fire destroys abandoned farmhouse near Valmeyer

Republic-Times- November 17, 2021

Pictured is what remains of the old abandoned farmhouse at 8970 Bluff Road that burned to the ground early Wednesday morning. (Scott Woodsmall photo)

The Valmeyer, Columbia, Maeystown and Prairie du Rocher fire departments battled an early Wednesday morning blaze that destroyed an old abandoned farmhouse near the Stuckmeyer’s Farm property on Bluff Road south of Fountain.

The fire departments responded shortly before 1 a.m. to the structure, known locally at the Old Schanz Home, located at 8970 Bluff Road.

Pictured is the farmhouse as it stood prior to the early Wednesday morning fire.

A responding fire official said the house wall was a “ball of orange” with the structure fully engulfed upon arrival.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department assisted in shutting down that portion of Bluff Road as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. The roadway was reopened to traffic at 3:45 a.m.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

There was no initial indication of how the fire may have started.

All that remains of the structure is a burned pile of rubble, which was still smoldering as of late Wednesday morning.

This photo from the July 17, 1986, Columbia Star shows a display at the site that includes family history of the property. It describes, in part, the wars in which Schanz family served. It also states that the land just northeast of the Schanz property was part of the *original homestead tract* of Shadrach Bond, first *Governor of Illinois* .

Republic-Times

The Republic-Times has been Monroe County's hometown newspaper since 1890. Serving Columbia, Waterloo, Valmeyer, Hecker and every town in between, we strive to provide the news that matters most to you in the timeliest manner possible. For more information on subscribing to the Republic-Times, call 939-3814 or visit the "Subscribe" page on this website.