Zoom - Heim Street

North of Lowell is a short gravel road that travelers should not zoom down. Heim Street runs east to west, beginning at Fallasburg Park Drive and extending for a little over half a mile, intersecting Lincoln Lake Avenue NE before stopping at a dead end.

Not much is known of its past, including previous names, but plat maps over the years seem to show changes in the road. It is hard to know if the maps are correct however, as even today, part of the street is simply a street on paper, no actual road exists except on the map.

The road is named after the Edward Heim family. Ed, wife Elise Moser and daughter Marie came to the United States from Bern Switzerland in October of 1898. They traveled on the ship “La Touraine.” The family first went to Illinois before settling on the land on the southwest corner of the Heim Street and Lincoln Lake Ave NE intersection around 1902. In normal immigration patterns, Edward had siblings and cousins who also came to the area.

Edward brought skills and traditions with him to his new country. One such skill was building a Holz Hausen as a method of stacking wood. A Holz Hausen looks like a beehive made of wood. The method offers key structural and functional benefits. The process helps the overall seasoning process, it allows rainwater to easily shed off the sides, and it keeps a compact footprint.

A tradition continued from his Swiss heritage was that of barn raising. In 1915 friends and family gathered to build a barn on the Edward Heim property. Edward and Elise raised their children Marie Shier, Edward William (Bill), Emma Hamm, Carl, Gottfied, and Freda Brighton on the homestead. Unfortunately, the original home burned, and years later the barn also burned.

Elise died in 1953 and Edward died in 1955 and are buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Lowell.

Marie Heim Shrier moved to Cannon and is buried in Rockford. Emma Heim Hamm & Freida Heim Brighton moved to Colorado. Carl stayed on the family land, served in World War II and is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery. Godfrey and Evelyn Heim lived in Lowell and are also buried in Oakwood.
Bill Heim left his mark on Lowell through the operation of his Texaco Gas Station on the Northwest corner of the intersection of Jefferson and East Main. Bill opened the business after marrying Ruth Gardner of Lowell. He retired from the business in 1967. During this time, he kept the business modernized, adding new pumps when technology changed, and remodeling the building multiple times. In 1962 Bill was the first in the area to receive the Texaco “Star Dealer” award. This was quite an honor! Bill and Ruth are also buried in Oakwood.

Descendants of the Heim family still live in the Lowell area and greater Kent County, and a short gravel street bearing their family name runs just north of Lowell, marking the home of this Swiss immigrant family.

Images:

Edward and Elise Heim family.

SS La Touraine.

Bill Heim at Heim Texaco Station.
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Heim Texaco Station.