YELLOWBUD LANDMARK GOES DOWN

Chillicothe Gazette; Chillicothe, Ross County OH - 27 Jun 1979

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The hand-hewn logs, the sycamore saplings used for framing, the brick front which was a later addition.....The oldest building in Yellowbud is being torn down this week. At various times the building served as a trading post, a home, a tavern, a hotel, a general store and even a pool hall. It was built sometime the early 1800s, as a small log trading post for Indians and the early settlers fo the Scioto River Bottoms near Yellowbud. The building was stocked with gunpowder, tools and salt during its early years.

During construction of the Ohio-Erie Canal, the building became a tavern and hotel. Four rooms were added to the upstairs in 1850. In 1866, the building was sold to Conrad Dehus by the Mader family. Dehus ran the tavern and hotel for 35 years.

According to his grandson, Howard Dehus, he sold whiskey, wine and cider. "People drank a lot more in those days than people think," Howard said. Conrad Dehus purchased Monogahela Rye (whiskey) from Zanesville and had it shipped by canal boats, Howard said. He added there used to be a distillery behind the building, but his grandfather neever used the whiskey made there for tavern patrons.

Howard's father, George, and a brother turned the tavern into a store upon the death of Conrad. The Dehus General Store was in business for 65 years, closing in 1957.

Deus said his father's brother died not long after the store opened and George ran the business. Arre Immell, who was born in Yellowbud in 1891, said there was a small house next to the store built for George's brother to live in. She said members of the Dehus family lived in the upper floor of the building at various times.

After the store closed, "It just stood there for years; we used it for storage," Howard said.

He is the last heir to the building. He said several cousins wanted the building restored. Dehus said he made repeated attempts to have the building restored as a historical site but, "People in the family couldn't agree; nobody seemed interested. It takes people, dedication and money to restore a building." The Ross County Historical Society was interested in it at one time, but backed out when the family wouldn't donate the property, according to Yellowbud residents.

Howard finally sold the building to Rick Bennett, a member of an old Yellowbud family. Bennett is demolishing the building and plans to live on the property in a house trailer, according to his mother.

Residents of Yellowbud are watching the demolition of the landmark with sadness, but most don't blame Bennett. "He's just a working man. He can't afford to restore it," one resident said. With the building are all the old store cases, a bar, and some old funiture. One resident said Bennett planned to sell some of the antiques.

The rubble behind the building tells its age. Some of the framing logs still have bark on them and the old walls revealed by the destruction of a lean-to on the back, are obviously hand-hewn. The building was last used for a pool hall, but it closed about 10 years ago, residents said.

Dehus said of the demoliton, "Anything built by man, someday makes a good ruin."