Mary Helms Farm
  • Home
  • Blog

Helmshaus.com blog

The Madrid Historical Society's Mary Helms Farm.
The Helms Farm was started by individuals in Iowa working at the dawn of the previous century, the owners built a beautiful farm that still houses an ancestor of that founding family.

Attic Safety Rail Concept Drawings

4/8/2018

0 Comments

 
For this important and expensive project we have some thought as to plan carefully and proceed with the best materials.  Base planning on having spindles, corner posts and handrail material with bottom horizontal spindle support boards of an attractive nature.  All items except the handrail will be hand carved and not violate the spirit of the house.   Let's begin! 
Picture
Three of the possibilities for corner post detail.  Soon will select one and go go go!
Picture
And three spindle candidates
Picture
Post top decoration idea
0 Comments

Safety Halt:  Temporary Closing

4/5/2018

1 Comment

 
The ongoing desire of museum visitors to walk up the attic stairs has surprised the docents.  However, there is a marked lack of safety features to accompany such an activity.  The paramount risk to visitors is once they climb to the attic level there is nothing to prevent falls down the attic stairwell.  Access is merely a hole in the attic floor, a rather large hole!  With a dormer shaped ceiling feature that seemingly guides those touring toward a fall into the stairwell hole,  Unmitigated, unbearable risk to the public!  Here sprinkled with blue light is the dastardly, dangerous access. 
Picture
The attic featured attraction must be closed until further notice!
1 Comment

Temporary sign temporary position

9/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

​While we send the big sign's design back to committee, lets have a temporary sign for the Chamber visitors on Thursday to gaze at!
0 Comments

Grain feeder funnel safety fence

9/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Our grain feeder funnel safety fence has also come to reality from rough concept.
Picture
Fourteen feet of lattice safety fence.  Super groovy, shockingly beautiful!
Picture
0 Comments

Stairway illuminating windows

9/8/2017

0 Comments

 
All so pleased to reveal our stairway illuminating windows concept is now reality in time for the Madrid area Chamber event. 
Picture
One of the windows illuminates the south stairway and one the north stairway.  We abandon the diamond window idea. 
Picture
0 Comments

Updated new sign

9/6/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
This is the sign we have settled on.  It will be large, 4x8 feet.  Colors of black, brown and forest green.  Sign could sit perpendicular to the road, south of the driveway.
0 Comments

Proposed Sign

9/5/2017

0 Comments

 
Wonderful, pleased to announce a new sign layout in time for the Madrid Chamber of Commerce After 5 event!   To be held at the Mary Helms Farm in nine days.  With my keep my money in town concept we went to Mid National Graphics for the business.  Have a look and lodge objections/support/proposed changes quickly; we need to roll the presses soon!
Picture
Thanks, happy viewing.  The sign's dimensions will be available later here and whether it is visible to north and southbound traffic.
0 Comments

Public Safety

7/29/2017

0 Comments

 
Public safety is our primary control as we do anything.    As there is a widespread desire to get up to the Mary Helms' barn haymow during tours we respond with a staircase!
Picture
Above is the staircase concept drawing with two light-admitting diamond windows added.  The diamond windows will closely match the diamond windows in your house, one of which will be in view from the staircase landing windows!  A decorators dream come true.
​We want to take bids for adding these windows,
​I need to get a better way of explaining the grain funnel safety fence, maybe on the morrow.
Below is a shot of the east wall of the staircase.  That wall doubles as a grain bin containment wall.  When the public is on the landing the wall is only 34 inches high.  Risk assessment dictates to us that no one can use the stairs now saving the people installing the risk mitigating measures.  Illustrated below!!  (Click on the picture please)
Picture
Picture
This is our proposal for managing the risk of visitors falling into the grain grinder feeder chute.  You see, the open to the outside door, above, is where an auger moves feed from a wagon outside the barn into the funnel and down to the basement of the barn..  Cattle were waiting for the feed below.  People will fall into that funnel given the opportunity!  To bring that risk to a manageable level, we are putting out a bid opportunity for contractors to come to the rescue.
​The pencil drawing is our concept of a possible risk reducer where the transparency of the fence is see through spindles on 4 inch centers or less.  Height  could be more than waist high of the tallest expected visitor..
0 Comments

Two new concolor fir trees

7/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Two new eight foot tall concolor firs in the museum's front yard.  30JUN17
0 Comments

Public safety enhancements

6/26/2017

0 Comments

 
Risk assessments and scenarios, rehearsals and thoughtfulness guides our moves to prepare for visitors.  At this point of time we are engaged in a program to  enhance the safety in the Mary Helms barn.  We have budgeted several dollars to this wave of planned work.  Our purchases include walkway safety counsel and labor.
Picture
Picture
enables visitors to view the cattle feed trough below.  See the lightboxed photo to the right.  Finally see the cold air returns in the kitchen cleaned and stress tested.  Cold air returns are in the Mary Helms farmhouse kitchen.
Picture
Clean, clear walk-ways.  Upwardly opening trap door  to the left.  Lifted,
Picture
Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Our charge and commission is daunting, restore the glory of Mary Helms' homestead.  We are the Madrid Historical Society and I am Mary's grandson. 

    Archives

    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Website by Your Data Hosting LLC
  • Home
  • Blog
✕