The stately Dutch Colonial home at 3rd Avenue North and Caspers Street was officially added as the 19th property on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places in a short ceremony on Tuesday morning.
Assembled from a Montgomery Ward kit by Edmonds resident Ira Gerdon, the lumber arrived numbered and pre-cut. Gerdon began putting the pieces together 1922 and completed it in 1923.
While living there he operated a small holly farm on the adjacent acreage just north of the property. According to his granddaughter Joan Gerdon, interviewed for a 2016 My Edmonds News article, Ira worked the holly farm as a commercial enterprise into the 1940s.
But for many Edmonds citizens, this property will always be best known as the home of the late Betty Mueller, who along with her husband Jim moved into the home in 1950. A tireless volunteer who spent countless hours working for the betterment of the Edmonds community (read her 2013 obituary here), Mueller helped found both the Edmonds Police and Fire Foundations, and was honored in 2015 by having Fire Station 16 named in her memory.
Much of the home remains original, and the current owners, Kurt and Cari Campbell, are committed to maintaining and preserving its character.
“Having grown up in Edmonds, I’ve seen this home all my life,” said Kurt Campbell. “Over the years the structure itself has been maintained in more or less original condition, and when the chance came up three years ago to purchase it, we couldn’t resist. Since then we’ve put considerable effort into restoring the exterior and grounds to its original grandeur. It’s really a joy to live here.”
— Story and photos by Larry Vogel
I spent some hours in the dining room with Betty going over the monthly agendas for the upcoming Fire Safety Foundation meetings. Betty “recruited” me shortly after I moved to Edmonds. She also once held a meeting to support a City Council candidate in a room filled with antiques. Miss those meetings, but most of all I miss Betty and her energy!
Betty Mueller was indeed a great lady. This story brings back pleasant memories of the many hours I spent in Betty’s home at her dining room table reviewing matters related to my 2005 campaign for city council. She was a big reason for my success in that election.
A beautiful restoration, Kurt and Cari. Congratulations!
My dear grandmother would be enduringly proud to see how well the Campbells have preserved this wonderful property. Thank you, Kurt and Cari.
So happy so see this home preserved. Thank you and Congratulations!
Betty was a great lady. She and I had many conversations over the years. My grand daughter
enjoyed her doll collections and the doll house. Kurt and Cari have done a great
job keeping the lovely house and grounds up.
I enjoy walking past this home and seeing how beautifully it is being restored and maintained.
Nice work Kurt and Cari, enjoy!