Woodbank , Wood & Rasmuessen Family  

William and his wife Anna L. Douglas

Built in 1894 by William Jacob Wood, an Indianapolis businessman; grandfather of James W. Rasmussen. Jacob Wood was a fire insurance investigator for Fidelity Phoenix Fire Insurance Company located in Indianapolis. from Indianapolis. He bought some property from a local farmer and built a simple cottage in 1894. Within a short time, a guest cottage, laundry, and other outbuildings were added. The original grape arbor, which connects to the cottage, is extant.



A biography on Woodbank Cottage is found in the History of Marshall County Indiana Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 on page 52 as follows:

Woodbank Cottage
A National Register Property
Located on the bank of Lake Maxinkuckee, Woodbank Cottage was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1982. The National Register is official recongnition of he site and provides a measure of property protection.

Built in 1894, ownership has remained in the family for three generations. Currently owned by Mr. and Mrs. James Rasmussen, formerly of Indianapolis, the cottage was become their reitrement home.

Located on a hillside acre of wooded land, 50 feet above Lake Maxinkuckee;s eastern shore, the structure and its outbuildings remain virtually unaltered.

William Wood, grandfather of Mr. Rassmussen, had the cottage built as the ideal location for his family to be removed from the summer heat of Indianapolis. Quoting from a paper prepared in 1976 by Mrs. Rasmussen, we see, this picture of the season's opening near the turn of the century.

"Each spring thereafter, his wife, in floor-length skirts and in haughty procession with two daughters carrying bird cages and dolls, two maindenly sisters-in-law and his mother-in-law, traveled on the "hootenanny" (Vandalia excursion train) to the sparkling waters, thence by a public motor launch across the lake to the Norris pier. (At the cottage) they had winter shutters removed and set up housekeeping until schools began in September. They instructed Chester Edwards to hand sythe the grass, ordered ice delivered from town and borought produce fom farm wagons at the back gate."

The Rassmussens look upon themselves as trustees of the property for the next generations.


Placed on the national Historic Register 2 Dec. 1982 as follows:
Woodbank (added 1982 - Building - #82000022) - - Also known as Rasmussen Cottage
2738 East Shore Lane, Lake Maxinkuckee, Culver
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Architectural Style: Late Victorian
Area of Significance: Architecture
Period of Significance: 1875-1899
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling

Application description: Site: unaltered - hillside acre of wooded, farm-land fifty feet above Lake Max­inkuekee: East Shore.

Building: two story, frame dwelling with screened porch along West end; also, a Laundry-workshop building, Boathouse, original "Outhouse" with grape-arbored cement walk from main building.

Altered: built in 1894, the kitchen was remodeled - 1952; bathroom installed inside - 1955; Boathouse (metal, section & wood frame) demolished and replaced with cement-block - 1958.

William Jacob Wood

Alvin C. Rasmussen

rasmussen_william_marcus.htm

James Wood Rasmussen married Catherine Matilda Glossbrenner

Catherine - gave talk in Indianapolis on her memories of Lake Maxinkuckee - this was sent to me - I had some spelling erros and alot of hyphens etc. in it - I hope I corrected it right - it is in the collection also listed below.

VISUAL COLLECTION DESCRIPTIONS,
WILLIAM HENRY SMITH MEMORIAL LIBRARY,
INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Rasmussen Family. Collection, ca. 1904-ca. 1978. P 0024. Approximately 100 black-and-white and color snapshots, and 46 copy negatives, mainly of cottages , summer activities and social life at Lake Maxinkuckee between ca. 1904 and ca. 1978. Photographs of social activities were copied from Rasmussen family albums and printed on contact sheets. These photographs are identified, and show members of the Vonnegut and Schnull families, and children of other cottage owners boating and playing tennis. Servants who worked for these families pose for individual snapshots, and with their employers. Other photographs on contact sheets include views of Indianapolis residences, and parades sponsored by the Indianapolis German community. Interior and exterior views of cottages exist as individual copyprints, and are not identified. Unidentified color photographs dating from the late 1970s show children and teenagers water-skiing, swimming, and sunbathing at Lake Maxinkuckee. The subjects may be members of the Rasmussen family.

Manuscript material in this collection consists of a typewritten memoir on family and social life at Lake Maxinkuckee written by Mrs. James Rasmussen in the late 1970s. “Eighteen Ninety-Four to Nineteen Ninety-Four” contains anecdotes concerning the Schnull and Vonnegut families. B & W photographs are with other collections in one full-size document case. Color photographs are in one 5"x7" box in the color photographs storage area. Negatives are in two 4"x5" negative storage boxes and one flat storage box.