Historic Home
Nestled in a suburban area filled with homes of all ages sits a time capsule. The enchanting home and picturesque grounds at 211 Whiteland Road are looking for a new owner. Located on the south side of Whiteland Road, east of Sawmill Road, it is a standout piece of property that catches the eye with its immaculate landscaping and bright red barns.
Current owner Debby VanLandingham and her husband, Larry, purchased the home mid-renovation in 1997. They poured their hearts and souls into making the house and grounds their dream come true. They lived there together on what VanLandingham describes as “an ongoing 29 years of improvement project.” Unfortunately, Larry passed away from cancer two years ago. The home and grounds have proven to be more than she can handle alone, and she has regrettably decided to put it on the market.
When the couple purchased this property, their children were already adults. They lived nearby in Park Forest subdivision, but this felt like home to Debby, as she had grown up next door on the Drake family property. Her grandchildren “grew up” here as they spent time exploring and playing on the grounds. An old, restored grain bin was used for winter storage and often served as the kids’ playhouse. Larry built a front porch and awning for Debby on the front of the grain bin, complete with a porch swing.
The white two-story farmhouse and barns were constructed between 1884 and 1898 by William VanArsdale. The lumber used for the house and barns was cut from the poplar trees in the woods on the property. It was a four-year process: cutting the timber, planing the boards and constructing the buildings.
In 1898, George Brunnemer bought the present farm from VanArsdale, his brother-in-law. At that time, the farm consisted of approximately 80 acres. George purchased two other farms in Whiteland and gifted them to his sons. This particular property was gifted to his son, Albert, and his wife, Rose. Albert and Rose moved into the house in 1899 with their year-old son, Myron.
George and his brother, Daily, were both grain threshers, and they owned and operated a sawmill at the southwest corner of Sawmill (now Centerline Road) and Whiteland roads. The sawmill is where the name Sawmill Road originated. This was also the first threshing machine in Johnson County.
Myron married Christine Trout in 1921. He farmed and did custom wheat and oat threshing. Most farms had silos but were unable to fill them. Myron’s chopper and wind machine were then hired to do it for the farmers. Myron also owned a Baker tractor engine until 1936, when he then purchased a WD-40 Diesel International Harvester tractor. He was the only person in central Indiana at the time to own one. Although he was not the first person to own a combine machine in the area, he was the first to purchase a 12-foot header in 1947. The farm raised soybeans, corn, wheat and clover hay. The Brunnemers also raised strawberries and tomatoes. They had dairy cows and sold the milk daily to Polk Dairy. Christine raised chickens and sold eggs. The original dairy barn still stands on the property, as well as other outbuildings, including the outhouse.
The house today has a two-story side addition to the original structure, adding additional living space and contemporary updates. The original house was heated by three stoves. Modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing and a furnace came later, in 1947. The original summer kitchen is behind the main house, today used as the swimming pool storage area. There was a smokehouse out back to smoke and store meat. A basement was hand-dug under the front part of the home sometime in the 1940s or 1950s.
The upstairs of the house had a separate entrance, and through the years each of George and Rose’s children occupied the upstairs of the house in the first three years of their marriages.
Myron and Christine’s children include names of well-known residents of Johnson County. Their daughter, Wilma Lee, married Denzil Church. Daughter Roseanna married Tom Mathena. Son Harlen married Patt Fennell. Generations of this family add to the nostalgia of this beautiful home and property.
VanLandingham’s contributions to restoring and preserving the home can be witnessed throughout the house. The front parlor room has the original carved woodwork trim, and the etched-glass transom windows above the door are still in place. An original lamp still hangs in the parlor.
The integrity of the home’s history now awaits a new owner to contribute and add flavor to this timeless property.
