Nebraska house finds a home in Vermillion thanks to new bridge

Nebraska house finds a home in Vermillion thanks to new bridge Employees of Berghorst Moving Company of Hull, IA, had no trouble convincing motorists to pull over on the the shoulder of the road � especially after the two story farmhouse they were moving Wednesday came into clear view. Despite high winds, the structure was moved effortlessly from Nebraska across the Newcastle/Vermillion Missouri Bridge to its new home in "original" Vermillion. John Hochstein reminisced about the fun times his brothers and sisters had while growing in the house, which had been located near Wynot, NE. The two-story house is over 100 years old, and features four bedrooms, a dining room, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. The house was purchased and moved from Nebraska to Vermillion by Joe Grause. Electrical workers helped make Wednesday's operation possible by moving power lines that otherwise would have blocked the house as it was moved to Vermillion. by David Lias John Hochstein of Wayne, NE drove across the Newcastle/Vermillion Missouri River bridge, pulled over on the side of the road, and waited Wednesday afternoon.

Soon, from his vantage point on the South Dakota side of the bridge, he could see his former home approaching.

Despite winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour that afternoon, the house seemed to roll with ease across the new, wide bridge.

Joe Grause of Vermillion recently purchased the two story L-shaped farmhouse, and enlisted the help of Berghorst Company of Hull, IA to move the building to lower Vermillion.

Grause joked that, thanks to the bridge, more than just people are coming from Nebraska to Vermillion.

"Now we even have houses coming over," he said.

The farmhouse originally was located one mile west and one mile north of Wynot, NE.

"I grew up in that house," Hochstein said. "I lived there until I was 21 years old."

The structure, which is over a century old, served the Hochstein family well.

"There were 13 of us," he said. "There were six boys and seven girls."

The house features three upstairs bedrooms. On the main floor is a fourth bedroom, a dining room, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom.

"I remember we were one of the first homes in the area to have electricity after the REA came in," Hochstein said. "So we were a bit more advanced than some other homes."

Ironically, electrical workers helped make Wednesday's operation possible by moving power lines that otherwise would have blocked the house as it was moved to Vermillion.

"The house has been with the family for over 100 years," Hochstein said. "It's been in continuous operation all of these years. Its prior residents moved out just a few weeks ago."

Hochstein was happy Wednesday, to get a good look at the house once again as it passed over the bridge.

"It's going to work out just fine for the new owners," he said.