The Sedona Historical Society recently received a generous belated Christmas gift — with some assembly required.
Three years ago the society was offered a piece of Sedona history, the Schuerman homestead, located on Loy Road off Lower Loop Road. Board members mulled over the idea for quite some time, while taking into consideration the cost to repair the house, which was built more than 110 years ago. After giving the project the green light, Martha Loy, the granddaughter of the Schuermans, who was raised in the house, deeded over the 1-acre and home to the Sedona Historical Society last month. The home is the last remaining intact house built by one of the area’s first families, which successfully met the requirements of the Homestead Act.
“This past year the board decided this is something that our organization stands for because this is a piece of local history,” Society President Janeen Trevillyan said.
“We decided this was something we could take on.”
When one walks into the small home it’s as if time has stood still for at least 45 years but in some ways even longer. On the wall in the bathroom — which was added nearly 50 years after the home was built — is a calendar from December 1975, the last time anyone lived there. And while there’s some furniture purchased in the 1950s, the wallpaper is original to the house, as is the wood-burning stove in the kitchen.
Trevillyan said the plan is for the exterior of the building to maintain a 1906 look. This will be made easier because they have acquired dozens of photos of what the house looked like in the early days. The interior will be a mix of old and slightly newer, as the family lived in the home for 70 years.
“Since there was a continuum family habitation, the interior will continue to represent that continuum of habitation,” she said.
“Eventually we will probably look to add items in the home but there is still so much here that the family left. We’ll be able to do a lot with that.“
“Furnishing it will not be the hard part. The hard part will be installing a really solid roof and shore up the fireplace as well as the kitchen area, which is starting to sag. We need to keep the rain and critters out and then we can move on from there.”
In all, the estimated price tag to bring the building up to code is about $200,000. Once complete, Trevillyan said the plan, which is still evolving, is to have a day or two a month where people can come to the house and Historical Society volunteers would be on hand to act as tour guides for the home. There will also be signage on the exterior of the home talking about the Schuerman family and the homestead. Once the parking area is complete, they’d also like to see the property play host to special events.
“We’re hoping to get it to the point where residents and visitors can come out and enjoy the place,” she said, adding that they plan to have an endowment program for the property’s future upkeep.
Board member Al Comello said the society will soon begin fundraising to help cover the majority of the improvement costs.
“This has such a wonderful story to it historically that I feel people can really grab a hold of and say, ‘This really needs to be preserved because this was the start of it all,’” he said.
“I found out that there was this place called Red Rock, Arizona, and we’re standing in it. It existed long before there was a Sedona. This is where all the pioneers lived.”
A Look Back
Trevillyan said the unique history of the property is tied to the story of Henry Schuerman, who took title to a 160-acre parcel along Oak Creek in payment for a debt. After marrying in 1884, he and his bride, Dorette, decided to add to their land holdings and filed a claim on property adjoining their existing ranch and built a home-stead house. The growing family worked their orchards and vineyards on both their properties and spent the nights in the homestead. The Schuermans were one of the earliest families to settle along Oak Creek and were prominent contributors to their new community.
They built the first school in the area in 1891, and established the first cemetery. Henry served as a Yavapai County Justice of the Peace, served on the local school board, worked building local roads, was a member of the Freemasons in Jerome and the family home served as an informal postal drop for neighbors.
Schuerman produce was sold in Jerome, Prescott, Flagstaff, Clarkdale and beyond. Grapes from their extensive vineyards were made into juice and wine. The wine was sold to Jerome miners, local cowboys and neighbors. When Prohibition came to Arizona, Schuerman was sentenced to jail for selling his wine but was eventually pardoned by the governor.
After the Schuermans took patent to their homestead in 1913, they moved back to the big house on their first property. Daughter Frieda and her husband Myron Loy moved permanently into the house around 1928. “The historical significance of the house is at least three-fold.
“Not only was it built by a very early and prominent Oak Creek family, but it is over 120 years old, and it is mostly original in its form and details.” Trevillyan said.
“The house is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and with fundraising, we’ll be pursuing that designation.”
The Sedona Historical Society’s mission is to “research, preserve and teach the history of the greater Sedona area” and it operates the Sedona Heritage Museum at 735 Jordan Road in Uptown. For more information about the Schuerman Homestead House project, call 282-7038
