October 3, 2018
The history of a home The Twillman House sits as one of the oldest buildings in Spanish Lake and sees new life as a community venue
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By Charlotte Beard Spanish Lake has a rich history dating back as far as the 1800s, but many may be unfamiliar with the significance of the house that sits at 11840 Bellefontaine. It is the Twillman House, owned by the Spanish Lake Community Association. The house was named for Johann Heinrich “Henry” Twellmann who later in life changed his surname to Twillmann. Later records also show his first name to be John. Immigration records, according to sources, indicate that his family left Germany for America in late 1838 when he was 11 years old. They arrived at the port of New Orleans, Louisiana on Jan. 2, 1839 on board a ship. He and his parents came to St. Louis County in 1842. The Spanish Lake Association provides that John bought the original 370-acre farm after his first marriage to Louisa Nolte in 1850. However, other sources indicate that the farm on which he lived was founded by his parents, which he took over when they died in 1853. The timeframe might explain the speculation of the house being the location for slave quarters, indicative of the pictures of barred basement windows. Twillmann’s first wife died in 1855, from which he had two children. Other sources indicate that he also had a child who only lived three months. Twillmann remarried the same year. From this union with Fredericka Kaune he had five children (other sources indicate there were seven children). After Twillmann died at the age of 55 in 1882, the property was divided among his family. His widow and son Louis Henry Twillmann ran the remaining 64-acre farm for many years. “In the late 1800s, a farmer with a lot of land was a prominent person in the community because he employed (many) people,” stated Jack Olson, Treasurer and Prospect Manager for Spanish Lake Community Association.
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The exterior of the newly renovated Twillman House in Spanish Lake.
“There would not have been much community if you could imagine having 200 or 300 acres around your house – not a lot of neighbors. (Twillman House) happens to be one of the oldest buildings in the Spanish Lake community.” Other sources also state that Twillmann became known as an “industrious farmer and community leader.” He was a clerk for the Board of Education serving five country schools in North St. Louis County. Twillman School, across the street from the house today, was named in honor of the family. Sources state that for many years the house which was once L-shaped, served as a rooming house for soldiers during the Civil War. In
Photos by Charlotte Beard
1945 it became Meadowlark Restaurant. Carl and Sally Plitt owned the restaurant until 1960. In 1974 the house became the Old Homestead Restaurant, established by John and Mary Spiller. Their son, Warren Spiller, was their general manager. In 2005, the Spanish Lake Community Association bought the Twillman House property out of a bank foreclosure. Approximately 12 years was spent renovating the house; it opened July 2017. Olson estimates that renovations of the property cost $1 million, which includes donated materials and labor. See ‘HISTORY’ page 2
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