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New roof coming to historic 1904 house in Kan.

October 21, 2014

Kemmerer's Korner, a historic house in Fort Scott, Kan., will get a new roof after its current roof was damaged in a hailstorm in 2013. The original, 1904 roof was made from galvanized steel made to resemble Spanish tile, and the new roofing material will be similar but less detailed and decorative. The new material also will be made from galvanized steel, with red stone particulate on top, and it has high wind and fire ratings.

One of Fort Scott's homes featured in the trolly tour has undergone a recent renovation, thanks to the April 2013 hail storm. Like many homes, Jim and Angie Kemmerer's home, built in 1904, received roof damage in 2013. The three story brick home at 324 S. National was previously a bed and breakfast and is on the trolley tours for Fort Scott visitors, Jim Kemmerer said. "It was known as the 'Bruce House,' for the owners in the 70s that put in the money-sucking-hole-in-the-ground, i.e., the pool," Kemmerer said. "They converted the detached garage to living space, and put in the concrete around the structures and (the pool)." Then it was known as the Huntington House, Fort Scott's first bed and breakfast, then the "Swan House" by the trolley tours. "This is due to the swan planters and the swans kissing in the dining room lead glass window, and now it's called Kemmerer's Korner," he said. "We bought it from Ms. McDonald on Halloween 1998. She was running the bed and breakfast, but was terminally ill and wanting to move to the Kansas City area to live with her sister her remaining days."

The original 1904 roof on the home was made by the W.F. Norman Company in Nevada, Mo., according to Kemmerer. "It (was) galvanized steel made to look like Spanish tile, and has always been red to my knowledge. The pool house (the converted detached garage) still has the same 1904 roof style as well, but it will be replaced when we add a garage to the pool house," he said. "The main house roof was in good shape (by appearance) after the hail storm of 2013, but it appears to have shaken the entire roof enough to create new leaks we never had before, so that's why the insurance company elected to replace it," Kemmerer said.

The antique roofing material will not be going to waste, he noted. "A local citizen spotted the roof material removal on Monday, Oct. 6, and purchased all the roof material from the insurance company to repurpose it for his personal use. It's nice to know that it's not getting scrapped." The new roofing material is a similar style but with less detail, curvature/height to the curves, and is less decorative, especially along the peaks, according to Kemmerer. "It's also galvanized steel that has a red stone particulate on the top to create the color," and has a 50-year warranty and high wind and fire ratings, he said.

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