PENDLETON — The house at 311 S. Broadway St. — a structure built by the grandson of one of Pendleton’s original settlers, John Rogers — needed more than just a little work when members of the Stanley family bought it a couple of years ago.

“It was in bad shape,” said Mackey Stanley, who with husband Ron and daughter Molly purchased the multi-story home, which dates to the late-1800s, out of foreclosure. “It was a sad house.”

Their efforts to whip the home back into shape have won recent kudos from Historic Fall Creek Pendleton Settlement, a local non-profit organization whose stated mission it is “to promote and preserve the historic character, associations and architecture of Pendleton, Indiana, and the surrounding area.”

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The group erected a large sign outside the Stanley home honoring the family for “Historic Restoration Preservation.”

“The Stanleys have done an amazing job there,” said Bob Post, a settlement board member who recently revived the honor, which hadn’t been presented for about three years.

Mackey and Molly Peters-Stanley recently posed in front of the the home — with the restoration honor prominently displayed — after giving a reporter a tour and sharing stories about its history and the work that so far has gone into bringing it back to its former glory.

The house is about 3,800 square feet in size and was built by businessman and craftsman J.J. Rogers in the late 1800s as a wedding gift to his wife, Mackey said.

There are several Rogers homes in Pendleton, ones that belonged to various Rogers family members, she said, noting that J.J. also once operated a story in the location of the current Quack Daddy Donuts on State Street.

J.J. sold the house in the 1920s to the Goff family, which operated a meat market in town, Mackey said. Since then, the house has passed through several owners — including the family of current Madison County Sheriff Scott Mellinger, “who grew up here” — before falling into disrepair.

The home sat empty for about five years before the Stanleys bought it, Mackey said.

It was in such a bad state that a lot of people suggested they tear it down and start over, she said. But that wasn’t in the cards, said Mackey, who along with her family members have an appreciation for history.

So Mackey and Ron, along with Molly and sons Andy and Toby, got to work.

The roof needed repair, and there was extensive water damage. The ceiling in the kitchen was caved in, plaster walls throughout the home were in bad shape, and a new heating and air conditioning system was needed, Mackey and Molly said.

And the exterior colors — purple and yellow — were not to their liking.

During the past two years, they’ve repainted the outside in a variety of teals, re-shingled half the roof, and re-plastered the interior walls in many rooms using a historically accurate technique.

They’ve scrubbed and cleaned the rest of the house, being sure to restore, repair and salvage what they could, breathing new life into prominent features such as a tile fireplace in the sitting room, a stained-glass window in the front entryway, and hardwood floors and other woodwork.

The home is part of the Pendleton Historic District, an area that mirrors the town limits as they were in the year 1900 (an area bounded approximately by Fall Creek, the railroad tracks, Madison Avenue and Adams Street).

The district is on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation obtained in 1991 thanks to the efforts of Historic Fall Creek Pendleton Settlement group, which had been founded three years earlier.

The register, according to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com, exists “to recognize the accomplishments of all peoples who have made a significant contribution to our country’s history and heritage.”

Mackey said she wants to get their home on the register in its own right, to recognize and preserve J.J. Rogers’ historic contributions.

But there’s more work to be done before that happens.

Mackey and Molly said the family plans to continue restoration efforts, as finances allow.

They got off to a good start, purchasing the home for about $100,000 — or for “a song and a dance,” as Mackey described it.

They obtained an initial low-interest loan of $15,000 to help with the restoration.

Furthermore, they’ve fixed up two rooms in the house and are renting them out through Airbnb, generating income through the online lodging site to help fund restoration work. The home formerly had been a bed and breakfast.

The Stanleys named the home “The Wisteria House,” a name that comes from Celtic folklore and means “welcome,” Mackey said.

The Stanleys also have a facebook page under that name with photos and contact information.

The message seems to have gotten out, as they have had frequent guests; many come from Indianapolis just looking to get out of the city for the weekend, Mackey said, and others are people attending concerts at Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center. Just last weekend, the house was full of parents who were moving their children into residence halls at Ball State University.

All the work on the home has been worth it, Mackey and Molly said.

Mackey loves history, she said, and this allows her to be a part of local history as well as give back to it.

Molly — who lives most of the time in Washington, D.C., but comes to Pendleton frequently, often for extended visits — said partial ownership of the home suits her lifestyle now and fits into her long-term plans.

Post said the plan is to present the Historic Restoration Preservation award periodically as he becomes aware of circumstances that deserve recognition. He said he plans to announce the next recipient soon.