Good ideas and suggestions. I was able to use a
flashlight to look down into the cavities to see clear
down to the footing - no insulation. And there's no
insulation on the outside either. Maybe this was
common practice in the mid-60's, when the house was
built. So I'm looking locally for used bead board to
break up and fill the cavities, especially the lower
half. And exterior insulation of probably the top
four feet will definitely be part of the plan.
Hopefully when insulated the concrete walls will do a
better job of storing and releasing heat from my
basement wood stove.