Decisions, decisions

I think that I made a mistake on the color choice for the ...............!  I'ld tell you where, but that might prejudice my work or alter your opinion of something that you admire.  We spent the last month, breaking eggs.

2011 becomes the past!

    I sometimes recall the story of the 1st grade student that told his teacher that he knew that God was a baseball fan.  She asked how he knew this and the boy replied, "Well, at church, I heard them talking about God and the 'Big Inning'."  It is my hope that Marilyn and I can have a "Big Inning" at the Shelbina Mansion.  This year will require a lot of effort as Marilyn is working hard on her PhD while I will be returning to work myself.  There are always a lot of factors in decisions and this is no exception.  The economy has had a lot of turmoil and we have so much more that we want to accomplish in the renovation.  It is also our nature to push ourselves to reach goals.  The home in Shelbina grows in our hearts daily and whether you call it Benjamin House, Vesper Place, or Shelbina Mansion,  the home holds a place in history that endures.  We are sure that there will be tours and special events to come in 2012.  Hopefully there will not be anymore Tornados!

2011 winds down!

     Before we form our new years resolutions, or reflect too much about the past events of 2011, we decided to live the last few days of 2011 to the fullest.  The arrival of daughter Monika from Texas always gives us a boost and this season was no exception.  She arrived with an excitement about the mansion and we were immediately blessed by running into Shelbina's twin dynamo of Kathleen Wilham and Jo Kampschmidt in the same room!   They offer both excitement for the future and knowledge about Shelbina's past.  An additional bonus was Kathleen's granddaughter Amy and her story of escaping the snow storms of New Mexico by driving seven hours to the airport in Lubbock, Texas.  Monika had attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, so she could well appreciate Amy's adventure.  Life gives everyone challanges and it is always great to have people in your life who can stay upbeat when faced with these events.  Thanks Monika, Jo, Amy, Kathleen, and especially Marilyn my wife for your energy.
     This was Monika's first opportunity to stay overnight at the mansion and experience staying a room that had so much history.  She is both a software engineer and photographer by education, so her ability to see the features of the house in snapshots is uncanny.   Add to this, we were soon joined by Robert Crist and his daughter, Robin.   2011 was still a lot of fun as they toured their former residence and gave us two "thumbs up".  Robin told of her first years in the "big old house" with the rumors of ghosts and I noticed that Monika  left a light on all night in her room.   The day continued to be a lot of fun as Warren and Michelle Moellering arrvied with their four children.  They were awed, but nervous about the ghosts of the house.  Monika had to work for about twenty minutes to help them relax into normal boyish energy.  She totally negated all the fear that I had worked to create over the past year.  The mansion is growing with all the good humor.

       We also enjoyed our restaurant experiences.  Martha's daughters walk so quickly while traveling from the tables to the kitchen, that Marilyn suggested we hire them to help with the house or at least have them show me how to walk that fast.  I explained that I would probably break something if I tried to move that quickly.  We also had a great breakfast at Kemps restaurant in Clarence.  Both Roberta Bischsel and her mother offered  ideas for the mansion and were excited to hear of the progress.  Monika ordered the  chocolate chip pancakes and we were unanimous in our opinion that they were the largest, thickest pancakes that we had ever seen.  The fact that Marilyn and I helped her finish the bounty verifies that the taste was also special.  
     We had even more fun in Clarence when Monika asked us to stop at a service station to photograph the old cars with mannequins.  They are set in realistic poses and the station is filled with authentic antiques from the good old days.  Our good luck contiunued as we met the owner, curator, designer and really enjoyed talking with him.    We  were once again fortunate to meet a person with enthusiasm.  Finally, any trip to Clarence requires a slow drive past the home on the west side of town.  It is both beautiful and unique.   The design must have taken some courage to select and architechural skill to exicute.   Take a look into Clarence, Missouri if you ever have the chance.
     2011 has had its ups and downs for all of us, but we hope to "dig in" and make a contribution in 2012.

1st Open House of the New Millineum!

Well, that may sound a bit grand, but it was a great start.  The rumor is that Mr Benjamin's first open house was attended by very few or even boycotted all together.  We did not really know what to expect from the announcement in the Shelbina Weekly News, but were very surprised when people started arriving and the groups kept growing.  We quickly abandon the plan to give orderly group tours with explainations of the work in progress.  Plan "B" went quite well as my wife, Marilyn joined forces with Jo Kampschmidt to provide information upstairs.  Kathleen Wilham and I worked downstairs to answer as many questions as possible.  Kathleen had printed a nice folder that included a copy of an 1872 artical published before the home was even completed.  She combined this artical with another from 1899 that described the completed home and furnishings.   We are very fortunate to have so much information about the home from various sources.  We are also very fortunated to have the likes of Kathleen from the Historical Society and noted author Jo to support the mansion with their expertise.  The only drawback to such a large attendance was the inability to speak with each and every person as much as we wanted.  The mansion has so many different points of interest and we could see people who concentrated on the architecture while others liked the color schemes or original furnishings.  The rare faucets, medallions, lighting fixtures, and fireplaces offer so many items to view.  Then, there are all the stories about John Forbes Benjamin himself, which Kathleen can tell so well.  We want to give thanks those who attended for being so orderly and respectful of the rare items in the house.  Some of the people were from the St Louis area while others heard about the openhouse in Mexico, MO.  Since the openhouse, many people have asked when the next opportunity to tour  would be scheduled as they were unable to attend this one.

Tours begin at the Mansion!

• Several organizations met and toured the Benjamin House in October.  It was nice to meet with so many people who had knowledge about the house and see their excitement with the direction that the work is progressing.  The philosophy of light, color, and hard work seems to meet the approval of nearly everyone.  There were stories of past visits, furnishings, and many heartfelt expressions of support for the house.  The Mansion has had several narrow escapes from severe decline and it is our hope to do more than restore the structure.  A support plan is needed to improve the likelyhood of survival for one of the areas most unique pieces of history.   It is great to see the enthusiasm of others.

Former resident of the mansion passes away.

 When I received word that Charles E. (Sonny) Magruder had passed away from injuries in a fall at his home, I was saddened more than might be imagined.   You see, I had never met or spoken with "Sonny", but knew much about him.  The bedroom that he occupied while growing up has been shared by other "boys" such as the Crists and Todds as we know.  He was well respected as a person and as a singer.  He was mainly a studio or background voice for several famous groups including the Ray Charles singers.  It had been my dream that he would one day walk up the sidewalk and introduce himself.  Then we would walk through the house and he would tutor me on the house as he knew it when his father, Elmer, was the owner.  My letters to him had not been delivered as he had moved from his Bronx, New York address.  Shelbina has seen a lot of finality this year.  Marilyn and I hope that the house with so much history will grow in recognition and support.  It is amazing how much energy and expense is used for clean up instead of preservation.  A bit like the story of Humpty Dumpty.

Body found in the yard of the Benjamin House!

While working on the front porch, I noted a Shelbina Police car entering the drive.  A young officer parked the car and approached me.  Sir, we had a report from one of the school bus drivers that there was a dead body in the yard.  I felt both surprise then relief as I understood what was reported.  It was a nice early spring day and the plasterers where working away (which made a mess with a lot of dust).  One of their girl friends was visiting, but watching them do the "wax on, wax off" motion is rather boring so she wanted to read a book.  Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING was dusty in the house, so she brought a blanket out to a shady spot in the front yard.  Well, a gentle breeze with soft grass resulted in a sleeping young woman on the lawn.  It is so peaceful in Shelbina that I thought nothing of it.  Time passed and she awoke and decided to go inside to see her friend.  That's when the police "raided the joint".  The officer enjoyed seeing the inside of the house and the young woman.  Dutifully he asked a few questions inside and was satisfied with my explanation.  So, yes, there was a body in the yard, but no, not a dead body.  Mr Benjamin was the last dead body in the front yard that I can confirm.  He was buried there after his death, but later moved to Shelbyville Cemetery.