106 North Olive - The Heimberger House

By: Ryan Reed

106 North Olive Street - The Heimberger House

Sitting on the southeast corner of Olive and Second Streets, 106 N. Olive is an unassuming two story house that is a testament to a family that had a tremendous impact on Rolla. The home was constructed for Louis Heimberger whose parents and subsequent descendants would invest in Rolla and shape it into the city it is today.

The first generation of Heimbergers in Rolla was Tobias and Elizabeth.  Both were immigrants from Germany who traveled across the Atlantic Ocean in the 1850s and settled in southern Indiana.  In 1868, Tobias and Elizabeth moved their young family, including four year old Louis, to Rolla.  Tobias worked successfully as a plasterer across Phelps County.  As Tobias’ finances grew, he constructed a house at 203 West Second Street for his growing family.  Over time, Tobias expanded his interests.  He started constructing homes for speculative purposes.  He also purchased a former vineyard in the James Addition bound by First, Oak, Olive and Second Streets and created a brick yard.  He constructed several kilns on the property and burned over 100,000 bricks at a time.  These bricks were used to construct buildings in Rolla and the surrounding communities that still exist today.

As Tobias’ children grew into adulthood, many of his sons followed in his occupational footsteps.  His oldest child, Louis, became a plasterer and worked alongside his father.  Louis also became involved in local politics.  In 1890, Louis ran for Constable on the Democratic ticket and subsequently won.  Two years later he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for alderman of the second ward of Rolla during a mass meeting at the courthouse.  As alderman he was appointed to the Public Health and Fire Department committees.  As his capital grew from plastering work, Louis and his younger brother Andrew purchased Block 16 and 17, each containing eight lots, in 1891.  Louis bought out his brother in 1893 and likely constructed the present house at the southeast corner of Second and Olive just a few blocks east of his childhood home.  At this residence he and his wife, Johanna Seeley from St. Louis, started and raised their family.  Together they had three children;  Harry, Carl and Irene.

Harry Heimberger in 1916

The eldest son, Harry Tobias Heimberger, grew up at 106 North Olive.  After graduating from Rolla High School, Harry attended the Missouri School of Mines (MSM), the present Missouri University of Science and Technology.  During his tenure at MSM, Harry started taking courses in Electrical Engineering.  At the time, MSM did not offer a degree in this discipline.  However, that changed in 1915 when the Missouri Legislature passed the Buford Act.  The act stipulated that Electrical Engineering along with Civil and Mechanical Engineering degrees would be established at MSM.  Since MSM was a division of the University of Missouri system, the Board of Curators could either implement or ignore the Legislature’s act.  In a 5-3 vote, the Board of Curators declined to apply the law since no appropriations were made for the new courses.  They believed that such courses in Rolla would cause a needless expense by duplicating work already offered in Columbia.

Harry Heimberger and several other students at MSM were upset with the decision of the board.  They believed their vote prevented them from taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the Buford Act.  Compelled by this action, Harry brought a suit against the Board of Curators that was submitted to the Missouri Supreme Court.  Local attorneys Frank Farris and Judge C.C. Bland appeared for Harry and presented their case in Jefferson City.  After weeks of deliberation the court ruled that the Buford Act must be followed and a Bachelor of Science could be awarded for Electrical, Civil and Mechanical Engineering at MSM.  Harry Heimberger became the first student to obtain a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1917.

During Harry’s trials and tribulation with the Board of Curators, his younger sister Irene was attending high school.  After high school, Irene trained to be a teacher and began teaching at the East Elementary School.  After the death of her father in 1931 and her mother in 1939, Irene inherited the family home.  Unmarried, Irene rented rooms at the home to fellow teachers.  That changed in 1942 when she married widower Walter T. Schrenk.  Schrenk was born in Golconda, Illinois, a sleepy little town in the southern portion of the state along the Ohio River.  After high school, Schrenk attended Monmouth College and received a degree in Chemistry.  Afterward he attended the University of Wisconsin where he earned a PhD.  Schrenk stayed at the University of Wisconsin as a Chemistry instructor until offered a position at MSM in 1923.

Walter Schrenk in 1950

After their move, Schrenk and his first wife, Alberta, settled into life in Rolla. In 1942, his wife died from ovarian cancer.   Within a year, Schrenk married Irene Heimberger and moved into 106 North Olive.  During his life at the residence, Schrenk served as Chairman of the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Departments from 1928-1956.  One of his duties as the Chairman of the departments was the dedication of the new Chemistry Building in 1940.  At the dedication Schrenk stated, “We, in dedicating this new building, look upon these improved facilities as one of education’s contributions toward America’s present and future needs – technically trained leaders.”  The building was later named Schrenk Hall in his honor.

Irene also became active at the university.  During the late 1930s, Irene founded the Rolla Co-Eds.  It was a social club for the growing female population at the university.  The reason for the club according to the Rollamo yearbook was “Miners were rough and tough and do not possess the qualities for appreciation of femininity."  Irene Schrenk acted as the faculty advisor for the Rolla Co-Eds for years. 

Together, Irene and Walter Schrenk founded the Order of the Golden Shillelagh (OGS) in 1977.  Irene and Walter realized that private support was necessary to maintain the high quality of education associated with the school since its founding in 1870.  OGS was conceived as a way for people to “pick up the shillelagh”, to promote the welfare of the institution and encourage others to become members of OGS.  The organization is still operating today.

Walter and Irene continued to live in the house until their deaths.  Walter passed away in 1979 and Irene followed in 1983.  During the nearly century occupation of the house, the Heimbergers and their descendants made significant contribution to Rolla and the current Missouri University of Science and Technology that are still benefiting the region today. 

Irene Schrenk, backrow center, with the Rolla Co-Eds in 1939