By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Work began Monday at the historic Schaeffler House in Hillsboro to repair its foundation and porch columns.

The ground has settled at the southwest corner of the house, causing the floor to sink slightly, Hillsboro museums director Steve Fast said.

Thrasher Basement and Foundation Repair of El Dorado is digging below rock footings and using hydraulic pressure to force 30-foot-long piers into solid rock to shore up the foundation at that corner.

New support beams with similar footings are being installed under that section of the house.

Eight of the 11 porch columns have shifted because of shifted concrete footings under their limestone bases. Lane Dyck Construction of Tampa will put the footings back in position and encase them in more concrete.

“We didn’t know what else we could do,” Fast said.

The work is being paid for by a grant of $34,923 from Kansas State Historical Society, which covers 80 percent of the cost. The city of Hillsboro is absorbing the rest.

The Queen Ann-style Schaeffler House was built in 1909 for merchants William F. and Ida G. Schaeffler. Most of the furnishings belonged to the Schaefflers.

Visitors are welcome from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tour appointments can be made by calling (620) 947-3775.