By Colleen Grant – August 30, 2025
What brought two long-time Fruitland residents to the lovely little city of Weiser — granddaughters and a beet dump. The first reason is most likely self-explanatory, but the second reason may need some elaboration.
Both my husband and I grew up in Fruitland and, after several years of living in Boise, we returned there, designed and built what we thought was going to be our forever home and retired from our respective careers. We had a lovely home on a small acreage where we raised our son, grew hay and grain and Ty (our son) raised 4-H and FFA pigs. Fast forward twenty- seven years, we found ourselves in conflict with some dear neighbors who owned most of the land surrounding us. They were attempting to rezone the 13 acres next to us from agricultural to light industrial, which would allow them to establish a beet dump in virtually our backyard. Fortunately, for us, county planning and zoning did not approve the request, but we anticipated the issue would not go away permanently. We began to consider a move.
Our son and his family had relocated to Weiser when Ty became the Athletic Director for Weiser High School. Moving closer to our two precious granddaughters was the prime consideration for selling our home and looking for property in Washington County. We also had long-time friends in the Weiser community, so moving here was not a hard decision. We contacted a realtor friend in Weiser, asking her to start looking for property – perhaps an acre or two – in the country. We specified a single story home, but were open to bare ground where we might build. While we were looking for property, I happened to drive down Main Street on my way to babysitting the granddaughters. On the corner of 2nd and Main Street, I noticed a realtor’s sign on a beautiful Victorian house. Victorian architecture is my absolute favorite, and it reminded me of the house we had owned in Boise’s northend. While I was immediately intrigued, we resisted even touring the home because it really wasn’t what we were looking for – we thought. Finally, two months later, a friend convinced me we really should look at the house, and the rest is history. This home had been extensively rennovated, had a kitchen to die for (a plus for my husband who loves to cook) and a studio over the detached garage which could house my husband’s collection of musical equipment. For me, it was getting the opportunity to live in another old home similar to the home we had in Boise which I loved so much. We made an offer that day, and it was accepted the following day.
We moved to Weiser on one of the hottest summer days in 2018, and as the furniture was being unloaded, we were visited by a neighbor, Dennis Lance, who handed us an invitation to a summer barbecue and a membership application to the Weiser Architectural Preservation Committee. Dennis and Lynda have become dear friends and an invaluable source of information on our home. While the first floor of the house had been lovingly restored by the lady from whom we bought the property, several months of vacancy during unseasonably hot weather had taken its toll on the yard. The decorating skills of former owner Donni Hooper made it possible for us to enjoy our new home without having to do a single thing inside. We could concentrate our efforts that first summer to saving the grass, trees, roses and other shrubs which were suffering in the heat. We were so thankful for what we call “free water” – the irrigation water which we literally left running through sprinklers 24/7 for four months. This was in addition to running the underground sprinkler system which uses city water. We saved all but one tree and one rose bush, and the grass has come back nicely. Much of our work has centered around making the yard our own, with new flower beds, some new hardscape, and a garden plot in which we grow lots of tomatoes for canning, strawberries for jam, peppers for hot sauce and assorted other produce. The yard is still a work in progress, but it is a source of joy for me as I am happiest when I’m digging in the dirt!
One of the first outside projects we undertook was having the exterior of the house painted in a color that was more pleasing to our tastes. We have always done painting work ourselves, but tackling a two story house was a good deal beyond our abilities. We were very fortunate to find a contractor that didn’t mind working on extension ladders and painting a multiple color scheme. (And, most importantly, the price was very reasonable.). The job turned out to benefit him as well as he has now painted several other older homes in the Weiser area.
Our next project was restoring the second floor of our home. There had been changes made over the years, most not so good! We’ve removed old carpeting installed in one of the bedrooms and the office and reclaimed a closet which had been utilized as a media center. We were dismayed to find the hardwood floor in the bedroom was completely trashed, with sections missing and covered with plywood. We’ve replaced it with new hardwood which had the added benefit of eliminating the squeaks! The floors in the other rooms were lightly sanded and a coat of sealer applied. They look amazingly like they must have looked in 1898. I’ve repainted both bedrooms and the office as well as the built-in bookcases in the office and one bedroom. The floor in the hallway unfortunately had been painted BLACK. The staircase was also black, and when one stood at the top of the stairs and looked down, you felt like you were staring into an abyss. It was dangerous for us old folks! We debated a long time on just how to go about fixing this problem, and finally decided to remove the paint. After trying three different kinds of stripper products with no luck, we resorted to sanding off the paint. I can tell you, even after putting up plastic sheeting over the doors, the dust went everywhere, and the noise of sanders working several days in a row almost drove us nuts. But, it was totally worth it to see the original grain of the wood appear. A light stain and sealer coat had the stairs looking good as new, or maybe I should say “good as old”.
We’ve had remarkably few problems while working on this lovely old home. However, I guess one should expect a few hiccups along the way. Just after we’d refinished the floors and stairway, a small disaster happened. The ceiling in the 20 foot high stairwell, one of the few remaining lathe and plaster ceilings left in the house, decided that after 123 years it was time to come down! It sounded like a bomb had gone off, and you can imagine the mess it made – on our newly refinished stairs no less. The dust completely covered everything including an oriental carpet that I’d literally gotten back from the carpet cleaners the week before. With the help of wonderful neighbors, Cheryl and Mike Sullivan, we installed a new ceiling, and it gave me the opportunity to repaint the ceiling and stairwell while the scaffolding was in place.
Our one remaining project on the second floor will be a redo of the bathroom. It has what I suspect may be the original clawfoot tub and pedestal sink, both in excellent condition. The floor has been covered in a green tile that is probably 60’s vintage. It is totally out of character with the house. We’re working up the courage to tackle this!
Our 3-1/2 years in Weiser have been incredible . In spite of being in the middle of town, it is relatively quiet and peaceful. We have GREAT neighbors and enjoy the impromptu summer barbecues and gatherings for wine on the patio. We get to see our granddaughters multiple times during the week, and can pitch in at a moment’s notice to babysit which we enjoy so much. Jenaye and Natalie have their own rooms in our home, and they love this place as much as we do. The tree house in the back yard is a favorite of theirs. They have “redecorated” it with painted handprints and furniture. Grampa has a standing request that it needs a window looking out over the yard. As persistent as the girls are, I’m sure this is a project for the coming summer. I’ve heard them tell their parents when it’s time to go home, “can’t we just stay here with Gramma and Grampa.” While this may have something to do with the fact they rule the roost here, they also talk to their friends about the “cool” house Gramma and Grampa live in.
We loved our house and our time in Fruitland, but we can now say for certain that Weiser and 206 West Main Street will be our forever home.