While these efforts helped avoid immediate demolition, the future of the property remained unclear until construction management professional Jim Wheeler and his partner Rachael Branham reached a deal with the Town of Plainfield and Hendricks Regional Health in 2024 to become the new owners, pending relocation of the home to the northern edge of its property along Vandalia Boulevard.

After successfully moving the Little House in 2024, Wheeler and Branham diligently began refurbishing the house inside and out for their home. Wheeler and Branham recaptured distinctive features, including installed new curved glass for the curved windows, refinishing original floors, and restoring fireplaces. Inside, they removed a door separating the front entrance from the living room, opening up the space to showcase its grand wooden staircase as a centerpiece. Throughout the house, the pair installed period-appropriate wallpaper along with Victorian-era furniture and art to complete the late nineteenth-century aesthetic. They are continuing work on the upper floors with Branham eyeing the turret as a potential reading room.

A potential tragedy struck the restoration this past February when incoming sunlight made a solvent being used catch fire, causing damage to the front of the house. Several months later, Wheeler and Branham have largely fixed the damage, showing their continued commitment to preserving this landmark of Plainfield’s early history.

“Hendricks County is growing extremely fast. The county’s history, reflected through its landscapes and built environment, is threatened every day. People are really yearning for something more permanent, something anchored to the past with a soul and a story,” says Mark Belloni, local historian. “The Little House served as a perfect example of this as a large, stately Queen Anne home located on a prominent road through the county. It gives Plainfield and the surrounding community a deep sense of place that can’t be obtained from new construction.”