Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, December 01, 2005

The Axtell House at Ramsey Farms at Lesanville, located east of Mount Ayr along Highway 2, was one of the stops for the 17th Annual Christmas Tour of Homes, sponsored by Ringgold County Tourism.

The Prairie Gothic style frame house was built in 1903 by George AXTELL on the hilltop site just one-quarter mile west of the Lesanville School. George AXTELL moved to Lesanville in 1874 at the age of 12 with his parents, Hiram and Mary [(BREWER)] AXTELL. Mary was the daughter of Nichol and Anna SALTZMAN, who moved to Lesanville from France in 1853.

George AXTELL'S son, Loren, was born in the parlor of the house. He married Doris DAVENPORT in the early 1930's. Their daughters, Betti AXTELL ANDREWS and Phyllis AXTELL MYERS were born in this house and attended Lesanville school and later Mount Ayr Community high school.

The Ron BICE family, who purchased the farm from the AXTELL family in the 1990's, donated the house to the Ramsey Farm Foundation in 2001, at which time the restoration began for the Lesanville Inn.

Carol McCREARY is the manager and operator of the house, now run as a bed and breakfast, Lesanville Inn, and supervised the interior decorating.

NOTE: George AXTELL was born in Minnesota on February 3, 1858, and died at the age of 88 years on January 17, 1947. He married Malinda M. "Lina" SALTZMAN on January 11, 1885.

Lina, the daughter of Christopher & Margaret (CABARET) SALTZMAN, was born December 29, 1860, and died on October 7, 1944 at the age of 83 years.

Loren C. AXTELL, son of George and Lina, was born on July 11, 1901, and died at the age of 88 years on November 16, 1989. He married Doris Lorraine DAVENPORT on April 15, 1933.

Doris, the daughter of Leander and Martha (SHOCKLEY) DAVENPORT, was born in Kellerton, Iowa, on April 16, 1909, and died at the age of 61 years on May 10, 1980.

They were all interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr.

Transcription and note by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2012