BY CRACKIE!

It is not unusual to find cracks in the wall of old homes.  Rather than "groan", it can be a source of information

These cracks tell of an earlier wall finish that had been sprayed on.  The finish is very, very hard and difficult to cut even with a vibrating blade.  The smell when cutting reminded me of the smell when having dental work!

The original mortar shows beneath the finish in this section of the Kitchen wall.  Both of these cracks are located in the chimney area and may be related to the crack on the west outside wall that we repaired.  Of course colors seen tell stories of past owners.  In this age of one line twits, I often wonder how many people can deal with the duration and detail of a project that takes years.

Links between local Italianate Style Homes

Marilyn and I went to a meeting of people who admire old homes last Sunday evening.  The property is known as "Fette Orchard" in Hannibal.  The barn was constructed in the 1850's with later additions.  In the 1870's, the house was built in the same Italianate style as Shelbina's Mansion.   We admire the effort which Scott and Jean Meyer  have committed to the restoration of the Fette Orchard property .  Just beginning, they have a lot more experience with restoration than we.  If fact, they own a restoration business that did the work on Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, IL.  While discussing their project, I mentioned that we also owned an Italianate style home called the Benjamin House.  Scott quickly replied that he knew the house well and had worked on it for both the Crist family and the Longs.  What a connection of styles, age, and workmen!

Linoleum from the past like flooring at Shelbina's Mansion

Large room ready for restoration to begin.

Early stage of renovation

Thoughts about the yard

Daffodils make me Daffy!

Each Spring we enjoy seeing the flowers that return to add color to the yard.  First the crocus, then the daffodils grace the yard with their presence.  Others soon arrive like the hyacinth and paper whites, but most have small foliage.  The daffodils take up so much room with their leaves and bulbs.  Even after the blooms are long gone, the round flower garden is covered with daffodil leaves. Today I dug up many of the bulbs to make room in the flower garden.  To give a little color to the southeast corner of the front yard, I replanted them at the corner of College and Shelby streets.  My thought is to spread the joy of first blooms and to more easily allow for the removal of the foliage when needed.  Digging and carrying the bulbs was tough.  I am getting a bit out of shape for this at age 67.  

Oh well, next Spring these flowers will bring new energy to these old bones!

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It is a joy to retain the lineage of flowers planted by previous residents so many decades before.

Not all decisions are big, but sometimes difficult anyway

Which "Red" should we use?

Sure, it isn't so tough when it isn't your floor!  Maybe I worry too much, but I really don't want to re-paint or even worse, look at a color that I don't like.  So many decisions.  It all began when a couple of layers of floor were removed and old finish stripped.  Two different colors were found around the perimeter of the kitchen floor.  Seemed appropriate to recreate the effect.  

North Shelby grade school visits the Mansion

North Shelby visits Historical Mansion - 2015

Teacher Susan Coe brings her class (and parents) to the Benjamin House

It is always fun to meet the young people of our county and answer their questions.  The young people of today come armed with smart phones, laptops, and electronic tablets!  There might have been a picture of the Benjamin House in China before anyone left the building!  General Benjamin and his wife would have been flabbergasted.  We hope the day was memorable for everyone.

And the support crew

Old, new, and questions.....

View of north porch with newel post

When we first saw the Benjamin House, a green wooden fence that matched this newel post separated the drive from the backyard.  The railing that attached to the green post was a green 2 x 6 that my wife's hand could not easily grip.  We looked for a railing system that would support our aging knees and diminishing balance, but the answer was elusive!  Different people measured and made suggestions, but none seemed to want the project.  Finally, after three years of talk a company from Quincy agreed to build the handrails when business slowed in the winter.  The Spring of 2015 brought more than just pretty flowers!  The matching rails  now adorn the front, south, and north porches.  This should help our visitors of all ages from the young trick or treat goblins to the long time admirers of Shelbina history.  The north porch is a masonry construction that the Crist family installed and Bob often lamented that he should have redone all the porches this way before the home was placed on the National Historic Register.  It is a lot less maintenance.  We now need to strip and paint the wooden porches, but the handrails conform to Registry guidelines.

We, and Shelby County Historian Kathleen Wilhelm, have not found a photo of the north porch from before 1960.  The Todd boys (Mike & Butch) gave us some insight of a porch that used to connect to the west wall of the mansion.  It too is long gone.

Another Great Visit (with more history)

With the blooms of Spring, we had another wonderful visit with the Crist family.  This visit included Heidi Crist Templeman and her family.  Husband Scott is really nice and the two grown children (Callie & Brooks) would make any parent proud.  Sister Robin is always a joy to see and their father/grandfather, Bob, is a great role model as he climbed stairs at age 90 and provided good humor to the day.  Betty Lou Crist is always present with us at Shelbina's Mansion.  We always enjoy stories from the Crist family.  Can you imagine the thoughts of Callie and Brooks as they toured the home where their mother grew up.  You don't see this style in Kirksville!

Scott, Brooks, Bob, Callie, and of course Heidi!

It was a beautiful day, so we got Bob to pose with his daughters outside too!

I QUIT!

My back hurts.  I want to fish more.  Of course I change my mind the next morning and realize how meaningful it is to preserve the old mansion.

Heidi is coming, Heidi is coming!

It is always nice to visit with Bob and Betty Lou Crist.  Through all our conversations, there are events and people discussed.  One of the children, the baby (Heidi), often comes into the conversation.  We have met her sisters (Robin and Camilla), but must use our imagination to visualize Heidi.  After a recent visit with Bob and Betty Lou, we received an email that Heidi and her two children were planning a visit to Shelbina with hopes of visiting the mansion in which she grew up.  It will be so exciting to hear her perceptions of "Growing up Benjamin".  Heidi went from being lowest on the pecking order of 5 children, to having the house to herself!  It is always exciting to meet someone who lived in the Benjamin House, but this is going to be special as her sisters plan to join in the homecoming!  I am sure the energy and memories will be flowing.  Heidi plans to bring her children to share the day.

Kitchen blues!

Ideas are a blessing, but they sometimes look better in your mind's eye than real life.  The kitchen has been a long time coming, but

there is progress.  The latest work on the walls has me a bit doubtful as to the results.  The kitchen of 1873 was a place where the servants worked rather than a "hangout" as we know them today.  With this in mind, our restoration has a more simple taste as a goal.  Rather than the smooth walls and coloration of the main part of the house, we have tried to project a more humble surrounding.  The walls needed repair, but we chose to keep the finish a bit rough.  Sounds good, but after a lifetime of smooth sheetrock walls, it takes a bit of time to accept the result.  It also takes more work than you might imagine to achieve a textured finish.

Also, working with "white" is not easy when judging how much "texture" has been achieved.

I am certain that some people will enjoy the kitchen walls, while others will lift their nose and sniff.  I understand, because Marilyn and I have mixed emotions about the results.  It has grown on me and I hope that you can appreciate something different than you have ever seen.

More than just a building!

The mansion and furnishings catch a person's eye and curiosity, but there is a lot more.  The people that come in contact with the house seem to be special.  This  past week we had another Spring snow.  While having breakfast, I looked out the window at the bright white surface that coated everything and muffled sounds from traffic.  Eating breakfast toast with honey reminded me of where the honey originated.  Clayton Armstrong and his wife gave it to us from their harvest.  Clayton, a bee keeper among many things, is a really interesting fellow and has helped us learn about the bees that have long inhabited the mansion.  He and his family are the subject of another blog on catching bees!  Later that morning, Marilyn and I traveled to Shelbina to do a bit of work.  Can you imagine our surprise when we found the snow removed from our driveway.  Buddy Ratliff  is the culprit and does so many things to help people.  Memories and people are such an  important part of the home we call Shelbina Mansion.

Halloween 2014

Each year we look forward to seeing everyone (and eating a lot of candy).  Our friends, Dan & Rose Fitzhugh, help us have a good time each year and others join us when they can.  Rose & Dan have done so much for Shelbina's Mansion and this year was no exception.  They provided the pumpkins, delicious food, and some of their family to share the festivities.

Rose & Family

 As sometimes happens, my camera started to fail and we missed getting photos of so many of our great visitors.  Hope they return next year to give me another try!

Just the beginning!

Friends from High School

The Benjamin Mansion has had a long history of "SPIRITS", but few  people realize that the spirits only visit once a year!

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It's a long story....

Work on the mansion goes fast at times, but a lot of ideas are slower in developing.   A friend, Jack Klotz, is very interesting and has nice antiques in his home.  One day he was telling me that he had driven to the east coast for a large piece and safely brought it to his house.  Just getting it into his house looked daunting to me, but it opened my mind to the concept that travel over 1,000 miles is a "Possible" task!  This lesson did not prove fruitful immediately, but my search for a cook stove, refrigerator, and oven turned up my target appliances in south Texas!  Without Jack's spirit, I probably would not have considered the purchase.  After a lot of negotiation, the owner and I agreed upon a price.  Now, to make the trip, I rent a trailer, and move these items.  The stove weighed over 450 lbs by itself!  Upon meeting Ali and Mike we found many things in common.  They are a military family as was I with the name "Mike".  Their oldest was born in Germany as was Monika  and they have a son named Niklas, as do we!  More than just a stove in common.

Brother, Ali, and Mike proved strong, friendly, and nice

The trip down went well and I recruited the help of daughter Monika and her amigo Jeff in Dallas.  They were strong and resourceful in the packing.

Monika & Jeff were tremendous

The trip back started interestingly as the trailer is clearly marked at a 55 miles per hour limit and NO ONE in Texas goes 55.  It got even more crazy as we reached Dallas due to the fact that the Texas State Fair was in session on our approach to Dallas.   For a small town fellow, this was more than exciting.  We made it to their house in the North Dallas area and took a well deserved break.  At 2:15 AM I awoke and sensed a storm moving into the area and decided to depart for Shelbina early.  This early departure allowed me to miss most of the storm by fleeing to Oklahoma.  You know, they drive just like Texans and everyone was flying past me again. 

 The 900 mile journey home went well and the storm never caught me.  I constantly drove with one eye forward and the other eye on the rear view mirrors.

Now, the last few feet had to be solved and once again friends came to the rescue.  Asking Buddy Ratliff of Brown's Furniture got me a professional mover and his faithful sidekick Tonto from Brown's.  Then Shelbina Lumber sent help and the big guns came from Center Street Auto.

Here is all the help we needed

I had several good plans for getting the appliances into the house with rollers and plates, but these guys just picked up everything and carried it into the house!  So much for plans.  Moral of the story is "friends are the most important ingredient in success".  Thanks everyone.

Fall activity in the yard

The flowers are such a joy each Spring and Summer, but in the Fall we must do a little work.  Marilyn and I gathered seeds from the day lilies and spread them along the end of each row.  We hope to slowly extend the lines of flowers.  Next, we take the gas powered hedge trimmer and cut the foliage close to the ground and rake up the leaves.  It is really exhausting to bend so far over to cut the leaves.  Chase Moellering helped this year and he is a hard working 7 year old.  The Cali Lilies need to be dug up and the bulbs allowed to dry a bit before storing in the basement for the winter.  Finally, it is time to trim all the bushes and privet hedges.  I hate to look at straggly looking bushes all winter.  Hope not too many limbs fall out of the trees!  The old soft maples provide shade, but they are at an age to break easily and every high wind brings down something.  Better get to work now.

Judge Crist and the Gang of 64!

The Benjamin House has so many joys.  Judge Crist was able to join us and had a great time meeting people from his past.  It is always nice to share memories and stories, but Judge Crist was also the recipient of at least 50 hugs!  Hubba, hubba.....

Dorothy Poore says goodby to friends

Reflecting on a good day with friends.

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Shelbina Class of "1964"

What a fun group!  Dorothy Poore helped arrange a visit to the Benjamin House for  her class on their 50th anniversary.

The Class of 64 arrive

And Mary "the teacher" gets them organized

    WHAT A CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beginning of the Shelbina Mansion Restoration Fund

We were expecting the class of "64" at noon on a beautiful fall day.  Jo Kampschmidt had called and said that there were two men from Chicago who would like to visit the house if possible.  We agreed to meet in the morning before class arrival and the 27th of September became a very special day.  John Byrd was from Shelbina and had thought of purchasing the Benjamin House in 1994 when the Crists had it for sale.  It was great to talk and tour the home with John and Jack.  People who know the home and early owners are always a treat.  We spoke of the progress and future projects that included rebuilding the carriage house or  the" three hole" brick outhouse.  Imagine our surprise when John made a donation to start the funding for these projects! Like so many things, getting started is the hard part.    Thanks John!

Early lives in Benjamin House

The objects were part of the lives that took place in the Benjamin House.  So many questions come to mind.  Why is the whiskey bottle so much bigger than a medicine bottle?  Why does the neck of the whiskey bottle lean to the side (did the glass maker taste the contents before making the bottle)?   Did the dark bottle contain Ladanum?  What was in the tiny bottle?  And the doll head must have belonged to a young woman of one of the families.  After being buried for over 100 years, the color of the paint is still vivid.  Can you feel anyone?  Will any of these items send us a message?

We cherish them.

Looks like a strawberry, but I don't think so..

In the backyard of the Benjamin House we have strawberry plants that make a nice ground cover under the privet hedge.  Birds beat us to most of the strawberries, but we enjoy them.  Once in awhile we find the pictured strawberry look alike.  They are smaller than a dime, but pretty.  Also, they always seem to be alone.

Historic Hannibal Group

Hannibal has a group that seeks to promote old architecture in the Hannibal area.  By meeting in the old homes and business of the area, they share ideas for restoration.  This support has helped new people appreciate the value of older buildings and provide some experienced help with projects.  Though located in Hannibal, they  also enjoy and encourage members from Quincy, Palmyra, and yes, now Shelbina.  The meeting in Shelbina was the largest attendance of the year even though it meant an eighty mile round trip drive.  The Benjamin House has a reputation and all enjoyed their tour.  Ideas were shared with possible ways to finish some of the projects.  President Jack Klotz offered to help locate old foundations and buried artifacts.  His offer was successful as noted in another post.  It is our hope to draw people to Shelbina and appreciate points of interest in the town.  Everyone also had curiosity about the Jewett house located just north of the Benjamin House.  It has a special draw.