national register of

q.4 :TED S-XTES
DEP4 RTMENT OF T H E I KTERlOR
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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
d
'3NALR E G I S E X OF HISTORIC PLACES
? s ? S t:5' : l q L Y
R ECEIIJ'ECI
P.
rPJVENT0RY -- N Q M I N A ~ O NFORM
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S E E I NSTRUCTlONS IN HOW TO CQMPL€TE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS
TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS
HISTORIC
wiederkehr Wine Cellar
AND/OR COMMON
Wiederkehr W i n Keller Restaurant
LOCATION
STREET & NUMBER
st.
~ a r ? j ' sblountain
-NOT FOR PWSUCRT!ON
CO?4GRESSlOVXL DISTRICT
CITY. TOWN
3 vrerrJrTv o;
Altuq
STATE
CODE
COUNTY
05
AP~FTJ'S
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Third
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~ranklin
CODE
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047
i q c ~ s sCATION
~r
--
OWHERSHIP
CATEGORY
STATUS
-PUBLlC
-DISTRICT
ZqU1101MG15)
L
-STRUCTURE
XOCCUPlED
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-BOW
-OBJECT
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~
,UNOCCUPIED
-WOR!:
PUBLIC ACClU1SITlON
-SITE
N PROCESS
-BEING
PRESENT USE
CO?4SIDEAED
AGRICULTURE
~
IN PROGRESS
ACCESSIBLE
-MUSEUM
K C O M M E R C ~ A L -PAR*
-EDUCATIONAL
-PRIVATE
RESIDENCE
-ENTERTAINMENT
-FIELlGIO1IS
X Y ES. RESTRICTED
-GOVERNMENT
-SCIENTIFIC
-YES
_INDUSTRIAL
-TRANSPORTATION
3ILITARY
-OTHERA
UNRESTRICTED
-NO
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NAME
Hernan J. B. Wiederkehr
STREET & NUMSER
Route 1, Box 9
STATE
CITY. TOWN
Arkansas
A l t us
COURTHOUSE
REGISTRYOFDEEDSEIC
STREET
Clerk's O f f i c e
E YUMBER
Franklin County Courthouse
C1TY.TQ.YF.I
STATE
Altus
Arkansas
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XEPRESENTATION
1N EXISTING SURVEYS
I
TITLE
DATE
DEPOSr-DPY FOR
SU;IVEY RECORDS
CITY, TO',vFI
STATE
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DESCRIPTION
CONDITION
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CHECK OME
XKALTER~O
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CHECK ONE
-MOVED
D
A
T
F
DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
The original wine-cellar for the Wiederkehr vineyards was dug about
18C0 by John Wiederkehr. Tee cellar lies beneath the Wiederkehr
cabin, a-one-2nd-one-half storey log hause which was also b u i l t
about 1880, Just before the turn of t h e century t h e original c e l l a r
was enlarged by the addition of a wing to t h e south.
Measurjng zpproximately twenty feet by t h i r t y feet, t h e o r i g i n a l
cellar had walls of native stone resting on the hard-packed-dirk
floor. -Heavy p o s t s necessary'to support the f l o o r above bisected
t h e rectangdzr roam.
In the southwest corner a small recessed
area was used f o r starage o f special wines.
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The c d 1900 a d d i t i o n gave the cellar an ell-shape floor plan.
Like
the o r i g i n a l section, the w e s t wing was lined with native stone
bonded w i t h mortar. The two-room cellar had a single entry in 'he
stzircase along t h e north wall of the o r i g h a l room.
In the mid-1960's the Wiederkehr wine cellar was restored to houss
the Niederkehr Wein K e l l e r Restaurant. The hard-packed dirt f l o o r s
were covered with cast stone, and a second outside entry was c u t
i n t o t h e n a r t h e l e v a t i o n . Tne sxposed-beam ceiling in t h e o r i g i n a l cellar was refinished and t h e c e i l i n g in t h e w e s t w i n g was
plzstered. Deteriorated support posts.were replaced with logs
t a k e n from the cabin above.
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Except f o r the addition of woodan tables and chairs, many of which
are made of old w i n e casks used by t h e Wiederkeh's, the c e l l a r
looks much the same now as when John Wiederkehr began storing his
yine there in t h e late n i n e t e e n t h century. The c e l l a r remains in
excellent condition, a tribute to t23e s k i l l of i t s builder, John
Wiederkehr.
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SIGNIFICANCE
AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE
-- CHECK A N D JUSTIFY
BELOW
ARCHEOLUGY-P9EHISTQRlC
,COMMU#I'SY
ARCHEOLOGY-MISTORIC
-CONSERVATION
XAGRlCULTURE
-ECONOMICS
-LtTERATURE
ARCHITECTURE
-EDUCATION
-MILITARY
4 AT
-ENGrNEERtNG
,MUSIC
XCOMMEPCE
_EXPLORATlON/SET7LEMENT
-PHILOSOPHY
-TRANSPORIATlOM
-COMMUNICATIONS
=lNDUSTRY
-POLITICS/GOVEPNMENT
-OTHER
PLANYING
-LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
-RELlG!ON
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. -SCIENCE
-LAW
.
-SCULPTURE
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'"X_~OC!AWHUMA~~ITARFAN
THE ATE^‘
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(SPECIM
!I
-iNVEt4TION
--
SPECIFIC DATES
.-
BUILDER/ARCHITECT
John Wiederkehr
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STATEMEXT OF SI GhllFICANCE
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Winemaking is one of the oldest commercial arts to be developed by man.
In
North America. the process of fermenting grapes into wine beqan'during the
sixteen-th c e n t u r y when R e n c h Hugenots in Florida mad2 v i n e from wild grapes'.
T h i s a n c i e n t art was f i r s t w i d e l y practiced in Arkansas d u r i n g t h e late
nineteenth century when new settlers emigrated from Western Europe to the
northern hill section of t h e state. One of the e a r l i e s t Arkansas winemakers
was John Wiedexkehr, who originated Wiederkehr wines.
'
:*:any young Eurogean f a m i l i e s in t h e late nineteenth century w e r e d r a w n to the
United S t a t e s through t h e advertisements of American r a i l r o a d companies.
These ads in European newspapers, magazines and printed l e a f l e t s offered free
or icexpensive homesteads to families who would s e t t l e along nzwly Laid xailroad tracks. One such advertisement w3s placed b y the I r a n Mountain R a i l road, which sought m o r e s e t t l e r s f o r a German-Swiss colony nsar Altus,
Arkansas. In 1880 John and Catherine Wiederkehr responded t o ' t h i s adaextlsei
msnt. They emigrated from their native a n t o n Argau, Switzerland, and in
December, 1680, arrived in north Arkansas.
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On t h e i r arrival in Altus t h e Wiederkehx's stayed w i t h the lc?cal priest,
Father Z i s - q l e r , u n t i l their log house could be b u i l t . ' The o r i g i n a l onead-one-half storey cabin c o n s i s t e d o f a single large r o o m w i t h a l o f t above:
Beneath h i s home John wiederkehr dug a deep c e l l a r and l i n e d it w i t h bonded
. s t o n e . H e a v y wooden posts helped support the cabin floor- The single
c e l l a r entry Ted from outside the north elevation of the c a b l n . The
Wiedezkehr c a b i n and cellar w e r e completed w i t h i n two months of the Wiederkehr's
arrival. in Altus, and w e r e typical o f the nodest homes and c e l l a r s built i n the area at that time.
1
In S w i t z e r l a n d John Hiederkebx had been a shoemaker, and'he continued h i s
trade in nrkansas. But, though he m d e shoes a3d repaired harnesses and
leathey goods for a cash income, h:s main i n t e r e s t was in f z m i n g . Among
o t h e r craps planted on the forty-acre Wiedzrkehr f m were qrapes to be used
for j e l l i e s and j u i c e s . E x t r a grapes were t u r n e d into wine to be s t o r e d in
the Wiederkehr collar.
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by t h e family;
Originally, t h e w i n e produced by John Wiederkehr was used o ~ l y
however, w i t h i n a rlecade oE h i s arrival in north -Arkansas, !Siedcrkehr ha2
begun to sell h i s homemade wine. using Delaware and cl-thiana grapes,
Wiederkehr produced q u a l i t y wines w h o s e market t-zlue soon e r z b l e d him to tuL'E
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No 10 380a
( L e v 10.74)
form
G Y E TD STA-TES
~
~ ~ P A R T M ~01N THE
T IKT~KIOR
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
RECEIVED
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PIACES
INVENTORY NOMINATION FORM
--
CONTI NU ATION SHEET
ITEM NUMBER
8
PAGE
1
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h i s full attention-to grape-growing and winemaking. F o r the next thirty years .
t h e Wiefierkehr's made a living from the w b e s they praduced at t h e i r Ozark
.
vineyards.
Ir?1919 P r o h i b i t i o n ended comnercial production of Wiederkshr wines, S u t s m a l l
qrrantlties were still produced for private and sacramental u s e . A f t e r John ..
Kiederkehr ' s death, -the fa m -and vineyards were operated by h i s s o n , Weman
J. B . Wiederkehr. With-the repeal of Prohibition, grapes from the Wiederkehr
vinej-ards were once again used f o r the commercial production of wine. ?he
1500 gallon storage capacity in 1934 had grown to about two million gallons i n
1975.
the production o f Wiederkehr wines increased, so d i d t h e need f o r storage
space. 3hut.1903 t h e o r i g i n a l cellar w a s more than doubled with the a d d i t i o n
of a wing on the west elevation. The enlarged cellar provided adequate storage
spzce u n t i l nie-century when nodern structures came into use.
As
In 1965 t \ e o r i q i n a l w i e d e r k e h r c a b i n was restored and remodeled for use as a
g i f t shop, fie cellars beneath were also restored and used to house a small
restayrant s2ecializing in Swiss cuisine. The cellars were furnished w i t h rustic tables ad chairs, many of which were made from o l d vaoden w i n e casks
which w e r e once used to store wine in t h e cellar.
For almost a century the Wiederkehr vineyards ,and w i n e cellars have been
.
ogesated as a family business, with John's grandson, Alcuin Wiederkehr, noy.
?In charge. %?is S w i s s immigrant family is representative of t h e many European
families who moved to Arkansas in colonies in the n i n e t e e n t h century. With
o t h e r German-Swiss families who s e t t l e d in Lhe area, the Wieeerkehrs kelped
m a k e Altus one o f the leading grape-growing and winemaking areas in the
southwestern United S t a t e s .
Symbolic of John Wiederkehr's contributions to Arkans&s4 winemaking i n d u s t r y ,
the Wiederkehr Wine Cellar is one of tine most important h i s t o r i c sites r e l a t e d
to winemakingbin Arkansas.
This h i s t o r i c c e l l a r , s t i l l used as a part of t h e
family business, is typical of home cellars co~structedfor storing wlne in
late n i n e t e e n t h century Arkansas, but it is one of few such c e l l a r s r e g a i n i n g
in existence.
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The Wines of America. Boston: Houghton,~if
flin Company, 1973.
Wiederkehr, Alcuin. 'Interview at Wiederkehr Winery, September 17, 1 9 7 5 .
Wiederkehr, Herman Y. BP "The Swiss Make Franktin a County of P3enty;" Qzarks
Mountaineer, December, 1956.
Works Progress A d m i n i s t r a t i o n . Arkansas Wine M a n u f a c t u r e r s ~ e n n i t s ,1939, Archives, ;
Arkansas History Commission.
~ d a s Leon
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D.
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thaaonpcre
ACREAGE OF NOMINATED P R O P E R W J P ~ ~
LTTM REFERENCES
1-L
EASTING
W I I
~ 1 [5
1 1
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ZONE
j
L3 ,9 12 t3 1918
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NORTFING
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w
u
ZONE
NORTHING
EASTING
u.u
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I o ~w ~
VERBAL €IOUNDARY DESCRl PTSON
- .
FOR
LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIZS
PPOPERTIES OVERLAPPENG STATE
STATE
CODE
COUNTY
CODE
STATE
COD:
COUNTY
CODE
1
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OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES
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~ ~ F O XPREPAXED
M
BY
Em
NAME I TITLE
Pianna K i r k , H i s t o r i a n
- -
PATE
ORGANI2A7lOb
Arkansas H i s t o r i c Preservation Proqrm
12-9-55
STREET PI NUMBER
TELEPHONE
300 N e s t Mzrkham
(501) 371-1639
L i t t l e Rock
Arkansas
CITY OR TOWN
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STATE
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STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFTCER CERTIFICATION
THE EVACUATED SIGNIFICANCE O F THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS:
NATIOMAL
-
STATE
x
LOCAL
I.
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As the des~gnafedSiate Histor~cPreservation Officer for the National Histor~cPreseiwation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-6551. 1
hereby nornlnate this propew tor inclusion in t h e National Reg~sterand certiFy t h a t it has been waluated accordtng to the
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-cr~teriaand procedures set forth by the National Park Service
ST4TE HISTQRICP9~SERL'ATlQN
QFFbCER 5:GNATUFtZ
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Gene Richardson
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F'DP
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S t a t e H i s t o r i c Preservation
12-9-75
Off 5 c . e ~
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SPS USE ONLY
I HEREBY C F V I F t THATTHIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED 1N THE N A T I O N A L PEGISTER
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9'9ECT03,OFFICE 6.r ARCHEOLOGY AND HlStC91Z PRESSRVATION
ATT~ST:
KEEPEF! OF THE NAT!ONAL RIGtSTEA
DATE
I
'ARKANSAS HISTORIC
PRESERVATION PROGRAM
"THE OLD STATE HOUSE"
300 IE%CpfiZ~Y'tIA?l LITTLE ROCK, mY;2;SsEJ3220
TELZPtfOSF:
501 371-1633
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3' 3 ~ 3 ~ : .
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PR03ERTY OFrlNERIS APPROVAL
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, an
Heman J . 8 . Wiederkehr
o f the
locaierf a t
o'iginal
the 1qa1
Wiederkehr Xeinkel i e r a n d l o g cabin b u i 1 t i n 1880
RI. ? , Box 9 ,
A l tus
,
72821
AR
1 h e r e b y - a c k n o w l edge t h a t 1 have been f u l ly i n f o r ~ e dand
u n d e r s t a n d the s i g n i Ficance of having t h e aforemefit i oned
p r o p e r t y p l a c e d on the ? l a t i a n a l Register of H ~ S L Q F ; ~
?lar,=5.
I hcreby a p p r o v e t h z inclusion a ? t h e aforementioned
properiy cn t h e :"!ation31 re gist^; of H i s t o r i c P I a c e s .
" 8 - 75.J
/
Date
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