page_title: William P. Bettendorf
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: William P. Bettendorf / Biography / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: English: Grave of William P. Bettendorf
context_page_description: William P. Bettendorf was a German-American inventor. He is credited with the invention of the power lift sulky plow, the Bettendorf metal wheel and the one-piece railroad truck frame. By the age of 53 he held 94 patents. With his younger brother, Joseph W. Bettendorf, he founded the Bettendorf Axle Company. His first wife and children preceded him in death. He died as the company was rapidly expanding and before he moved into a palatial home he was building. The city of Bettendorf, Iowa is named after the two brothers.
context_section_description: William Bettendorf married Mary Wortman in 1879. Together they raised two children, Etta and Henry. She died in August 1901. In 1908 he married Elizabeth Staby, who was a widow.
  He began building a 22-acre (8.9 ha) estate on a bluff overlooking Bettendorf and the river valley below. It was located in a grove of oak and maple trees. The house was built in the Spanish Revival style. The exterior featured large porches, a grand fountain and a carriage house that could hold six cars.  The interior featured linen tapestries, oak stairways and hand carved oak woodwork, ceiling murals, and a fireplace in every room. Artisans were brought from Europe to complete the detail work. Entire trees were brought on site to be sawn for the paneling, so a room would have matched paneling.  The estate was built for more than $150,000.
  The family lived in a bungalow adjacent to their new residence during the construction. William Bettendorf had emergency surgery a week before they were scheduled to move into the house.  He died on June 3, 1910 and was buried in Oakdale Cemetery in Davenport. His wife and stepson lived on the estate until 1926 when they sold it to the Grand Lodge of Iowa AF & AM.  They added a 50-room wing which became the Iowa Masonic Nursing Home.
caption: Grave in Oakdale Cemetery
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