CHARLES & DEBBIE JAHNS

Across the Fence 

From The Hamilton Herald-News, abt. 1982



By Arvord Abernethy 

While driving out West Main recently my attention was drawn to the gleaming white walls and the red roof of what we know as the old Fred Fetty home. I stopped and met the new owner and restorer, Charles Jahns. His wife was away so I promised to come back when they were both there. I stopped by again but just his wife, Debbie, was there then. 

The next visit was at exactly the right time and place; around the dining table with doughnuts, coffee and milk. That makes a might good place to get acquainted with a new couple. 

The Jahns are not exactly new to Hamilton. Charles was born at Arlington, the son of Fred, or as lost people know him, Fred Jahns, and is the nephew of our own Robert and Henry Jahns. His mother was Emma Wendland, so he has a number of relatives around here. 

Debbie McKinzie was born in Fort Worth, but has lived in Austin most of her life. Charles attended the University of Texas School of Pharmacy and after graduation began working in a pharmacy there. He had a young helper there by the name of Debbie and as they mixed medicines together they mixed up a love potion that ended in her marrying the boss. 

Debbie was taking art at the university, and her talent can easily be seen around their home. Most or her art work has been in silk screen painting. 

Charles and Debbie are a couple who do things together. Right now they are living in the garage apartment there on the property while restoring the house. There was a lovely wall hanging banner on the wall, so I asked about it. They call it their first project to make together; it was made soon after their marriage nearly eight years ago. 

The banner is of two-tone burlap that is about four feet by eight feet in size. They have written in script with yarn the following thought which is from the 7th verse of the 13th chapter of I Corinthians, “There is nothing love cannot face. There is no limit to its faith, its hope and its endurance”. This is bordered by vines, leaves and flowers made of felt and yarn. This banner drew so much favorable comment they made one for the church, the University Lutheran Church, before leaving Austin. 

They have restored some old cars together. And have already re-done three homes. They are really doing a restoring job on the Fred Fetty home. They could not find wooden siding like the original, but did find some white vinyl siding like it and applied over an inch of insulation. The big task came in putting on the new red roof. The material was in sheets that are three feet wide and twenty feet long; couple that with a real steep roof that one cannot stand on and you have a problem. 

The date of the construction is not known for certain. If I remember correctly, Mrs. Allie Scott told me one time that Col. G. R. Freeman built it for his daughter, Alice and her new husband, Mark Logan. Records show that Col. Freeman deeded the property to them on Sept. 8, 1908. 

Mrs. Scott told me that the Freemans lived right across the street west of the Episcopal Church in what some know as the Arthur Lemmon’s home. That is where Ed Dollahite lives now. The marriage took place in the Episcopal Church so a red carpet was laid from the home to the church for the bride to walk on. 

To keep the house looking as old-timey as possible, they are putting beaded ceilings throughout the house. They have also used beaded ceiling material for the wainscoting of the downstairs bathroom. And to keep it original, they left the large cast iron bath tub in there. One nearly needs a step ladder to get into it. 

The walls are being covered with delicately designed wallpaper. As Debbie put it, those foot wide baseboards were calling for something after the paper was hung, so she designed a stencil of two leaves and a flower and painted it all around the room. She had to do this work while lying on her side on a bedroll. I noticed another room where they used a narrow wallpaper border to go around the window and door frames. 

The first decorative painting I noticed was some Pennsylvania Dutch designs on the banister post that goes Upstairs. All these little things in this salt-box type house will go for making an interesting home for this young couple. One wonders how they could have done so much in this short time and still find time to do some fill-in work in pharmacies around. 

The Jahns moved into Hamilton the day of the 14 inch snow in January. It may have seemed a cold reception, but they have so enjoyed the warmth and friendliness of the Hamilton people.

Shared by Roy Ables

ACROSS THE FENCE