One-of-a-kind house sits empty

HENRY - Pat Selquist knows exactly how she would spend the money if she were lucky enough to win the lottery.

As soon as the money was in her account, she'd begin renovating and repairing the Charles Perdew house in Henry.

Unlike the restored Charles Perdew workshop, the house is not open to the public. And there's good reason for that. For safety's sake, you have to watch where you step in the dilapidated structure. Long vacant, the only things living there these days are animals that make their way into the house's many openings.

The house, like its creator, is truly one of a kind. Charles, a renowned decoy carver whose work still commands hefty sums, designed the house and began building it on Oct. 11, 1907. As one might imagine, the house has some interesting features. That doesn't surprise Selquist, who serves as president of the Charles Perdew Museum Association.

"Nothing is unusual with Charlie," she said.

Never one to waste anything, he used newspapers, cardboard and other materials for insulation.

"He insulated part of the house with sawdust," Selquist said.

He used Masonite in various areas of the house.

"It's covered with oil cloth," Selquist said.

The oil cloth was then painted by his wife, Edna Perdew, who was an accomplished artist in her own right.

"That's the backdrop for all her murals on the wall," she said.

The murals in some rooms are faded, but the mural in the bathroom is still quite vivid.

Edna's kerosene stove still sits in the kitchen, and it's the only one she ever had, Selquist said.

Edna and Charles had one son and three grandchildren.

"All three of the grandchildren were born in this house," Selquist said. "They all lived here together (for a while)."

Although efforts have been made to stabilize the house, Selquist said it would take hundreds of thousands of dollars to properly restore it.

The annual Charles Perdew Museum Association dinner and auction, the association's main fundraiser of the year, will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 at the River Valley Bowl in Henry. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Tickets are $20 per person and are available from Perdew museum board members, The Paint Store, Henry State Bank, Heartland Bank or at the door that night.