We Bought a Historic House- WEEK ONE (what did we do??)
In a Nutshell
Jen and her partner are restoring the Dodge House next to their Montello Theater, starting with garage repairs, painting, lawn work, and installing a new directional sign. They spent significant time at the Wisconsin Historical Society reviewing 1890s–1900s microfilm newspapers to gather ads, articles, and theater history for upcoming tours. A Z Grills smoker was also set up as they prepare the property for history tours, carnivore retreats, and Airbnb use.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Jen and the speaker visited the Wisconsin Historical Society to research the history of the Dodge House. Four years earlier they had researched the Montello Theater when they took it over during COVID closures. They now own the Dodge House, a historic home located right next door to the world-famous Montello Theater, formerly known as Dodge's Opera House. The Dodge House will be opened for history tours, requiring additional historical research and physical preparation work at the property.
A sign was built over a month prior and will be installed at 8:00 p.m. The previous sign on the building said "Antiques," as the Dodge House once sold antiques and also operated as a restaurant. The new sign will read "Formerly Dodge's Opera House" pointing left and "Currently Dodge House" pointing right.
The garage requires significant work including cleanup, a new coat of paint, and trim repairs. The Dodge House property includes a beautiful courtyard with approximately 20 metal seats. A tree in the courtyard was overgrown and needed trimming.
The documentary Healing Humanity is the speaker's number one priority. Screenings occurred in Chicago and Orlando, with additional Midwest cities scheduled and Southwest locations planned. The speaker follows a carnivore diet, which enables high productivity. The Dodge House is described as Jen's primary focus.
The lawn was mowed for the first time. The speaker notes the enjoyment of mowing and mentions a heat wave occurring during the work period. Frank Dodge previously lived in the Dodge House and worked in the adjacent Opera House, performing similar yard work between the two buildings.
A Z Grills smoker is being set up at the Dodge House. The speaker has used a Z Grills smoker at home for approximately two years and praises its technology, Bluetooth connectivity, app, thermometer, and pellet-emptying chute feature. A special offer link is provided in the video description. Carnivore VIP retreats are planned at the Dodge House. Information about history tours, retreats, and Airbnb rentals is available at dodgehouse.com.
The garage, constructed of cinder block, required significant paint. The front was previously painted but had faded badly on the bottom. Rotten trim boards on the bottom are being replaced. Daughter Katie assisted with the painting. A thick coat was applied by brush through the mortar before rolling. New trim pieces were cut and installed on the front and both sides. Painting was completed in the correct order rather than postponing it. Before-and-after footage shows visible improvement.
Jen and the speaker returned to the Wisconsin Historical Society to obtain 1890s Montello newspapers. Full pages will be saved and recreated for the Dodge House history tours. The goal is to display newspapers that would have been on tables in the 1890s. The property features a Victrola and a radio with additional planned uses. The previous research visit four years ago was for the Montello Theater; this visit focuses on the Dodge House.
The Wisconsin Historical Society building contains thousands to millions of scanned newspapers on microfilm that can be searched, exported, and printed or saved. The team plans to do both. Research includes history of the Dodge House and additional Montello Theater history. Modern keyword-search websites exist but do not cover these microfilm collections, requiring manual scrolling through old newspapers for mentions of Dodge's Opera House, Frank Dodge, or the Dodge House.
Three years of newspapers were reviewed, yielding substantial material. A website was identified that can print entire newspapers, enabling replication of an 1890s Montello newspaper containing an article about the Montello Theater. Multiple front pages of the Montello Express showing theater events, such as the introduction of sound, will be printed along with old advertisements. The team spent a couple of hours reviewing two years' worth of papers. The process requires manually examining every page since no search function exists.
A January 22, 1904 issue of the Montello Express was located. Numerous historical advertisements were found, including sauerkraut priced at two large cans for 21 cents and coffee at 33 cents. The volume of material is described as sufficient to fill a coffee table book containing thousands of ads.
History tours have already been announced with a link in the video description. Regular tours are planned going forward for local attendees. A dedicated playlist covers running a small town movie theater and the Dodge Opera House.
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