06/14/2026
Happy summer friends and neighbors! We continue to make meaningful progress at the Historic Stoup-Littlefield Home, and I wanted to share a few exciting updates from a recent visit back home to Flat Rock.
One of the highlights of the trip was a wonderful visit from our Mayor, who stopped by the property to walk the site, offer ideas, and express his support for our efforts. We are grateful for his encouragement and enthusiasm as we work to preserve this important piece of our community's history.
I also had the opportunity to meet with several local contractors and business owners whose generosity has been nothing short of inspiring.
A special thank you goes to fellow classmate and local teacher, Brian Kryk, who is helping transform the front of the property by installing a beautiful row of hedges and a stone retaining wall next month. Brian's willingness to contribute his time and talents for a very modest investment is incredibly appreciated and will make a tremendous impact on the home's curb appeal and set the stage for what's to come.
We also met with a local tree service and stump grinding contractor who provided a very generous estimate to remove several hackberry trees and grind more than a dozen stumps throughout the property. Their support will help us prepare the grounds for the next phase of restoration and landscaping.
In the coming weeks, grading work will begin along the left side of the property, followed by renovations to the garage. Plans include removing the existing aluminum siding and replacing it with a more historically appropriate board-and-batten finish, installing new windows and back door, and adding a charming cupola atop the structure with a custom weathervane commemorating the year the home was built. A gas lantern will illuminate the rear alley, creating a warm and welcoming glow for neighbors and passersby alike. Eventually the modern rear garage door will be replaced with historically appropriate, custom barn doors.
In an effort to offload some of the work taking place on site by our tireless, fearless team, we are seeking a volunteer or local craftsman interested in building an informational kiosk for the front yard near the sidewalk. The kiosk will feature a beautiful rendering of the completed restoration, information about the home, history, our nonprofit mission, and ways for community members to get involved.
Another exciting milestone is already underway: footings and foundation blocks are being installed to begin reconstruction of the front porch to its original historic elevation. This involved behind the scenes architectural stamped drawings, building permits and making sure we can recreate every little trim detail perfectly. Our team is thrilled to finally turn the corner on all the demolition, digging for artifacts and start building back this original beauty.
While we were disappointed not to receive the T-Mobile Hometown Hero Grant, we remain committed to moving forward with our plans. We firmly believe that this project is meant to be, and that God will continue to provide the people, resources, and opportunities needed to bring it to completion.
We want to sincerely thank everyone who has expressed interest in the project, shared words of encouragement, offered their expertise, and supported our mission. We are especially grateful to the local business owners and neighbors who have provided such affordable and generous proposals, to our Mayor for taking the time to visit the property and lend his support, and to everyone who wrote letters of recommendation on our behalf for the Hometown Hero Grant. Your heartfelt words about our mission to preserve local history were greatly appreciated.
In closing, what fills my heart more than anything is not the progress we're making on the Stoup-Littlefield Home itself, but the community that is forming around it. Every time I visit the property, I'm reminded that this project has become about so much more than preserving an old house.
There are moments when I stand on that site and become overwhelmed with gratitude as neighbors, business owners, former classmates, and complete strangers stop by simply to ask how they can help. Some bring materials. Some offer their expertise. Some connect us with someone in their network. Others simply share stories, encouragement, and a belief in what we're trying to accomplish.
Each act of kindness, no matter how big or small, reminds me that there are still so many good people willing to invest their time, talents, and hearts into something that benefits future generations. There have been more than a few moments that have brought tears to my eyes.
To witness a community rally around preserving a piece of its history is truly humbling. What started as an effort to save a historic home is becoming something much larger—a shared purpose, a growing family of supporters, and a reminder of what can happen when people come together in service of something greater than themselves. For that, I am deeply grateful.
The momentum is building. The community support is growing. And the vision is becoming reality.
Onward!
— Jennifer Schoenberger
President, Remembering Reading Corporation
