It took an army of Great Bend city employees and crews from a myriad utility companies to clear a path Tuesday morning so the massive 100-year-old house at 2526 Broadway could be trucked to its new home in rural Stafford County.

An even larger throng of spectators braved the cold and gathered in the area of Broadway and Washington to watch the tedious process. They wanted to witness the century-old structure lumber its way out of town, towed by a semi-tractor and escorted by law enforcement and safety personnel.

Due to the undertaking, traffic was detoured around the area. Some streets were barricaded.

The house is owned by Amber and Brent Rugan and they are moving to their farm southwest of Ellinwood. Unruh House Moving of Galva started preparations last Monday and it took a week to get it ready for the voyage and loaded on the wheels.

On Tuesday morning, as many as six bucket trucks were hoisting men skyward in an aerial ballet. They raised power lines and twisted traffic signal poles out of the way.  

The same had to be done every time a line or signal was encountered. 

The route takes the caravan from Broadway onto Washington, south to Railroad Avenue, east to Main (U.S. 281), and south. A series of Barton County and township roads were taken to the final destination southwest of Ellinwood on the Stafford County side of the Barton-Stafford county line, just off Barton County SE 70 Road/Stafford County NE 210 Road. That is about six miles east of U.S. 281.

Of those watching the work, some were sorry to see the house go, lamenting the vacant lot left behind.

But, all were impressed with the moving process. 

According to Great Bend Tribune accounts of the time, the house was built for Arthur E. Taylor in 1921. At the time, it sat on the western edge of town.

Unruh House Moving threaded the two-and-a-half-story dwelling deftly around the corner from Broadway onto Washington. Some limbs on the Broadway island trees had to be removed.