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by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society The house we are looking at this week is in the Yennie Addition to Grain Valley. While I do not know the exact date when this addition was platted I would estimate that it was probably not until the late 1890s or early 1900s. Yennie Addition includes all of the lots from Yennie south to Walnut and from Gregg Street west to Thieme. There is a total of thirty-four lots in this addition. Born in 1877, Joseph Peter Yennie was only a couple of years old when his father died. His mother (Anastasia) moved to Kansas City and in 1881 she married Oscar Tesch. The Tesch family lived in Kansas City for many years, however, the 1920 U. S. Census listed their address as Sni-A-Bar, Missouri. Perhaps they followed her son Peter to Grain Valley, or maybe Anastasia’s first-born Anna Yennie Thieme, or their son Grover Cleveland Tesch as they were all three living in Grain Valley by 1900. When Joseph acquired the land that became Yennie Addition is unknown to me, however, my grandparents built their home on Lots 5 & 6 in 1910. A copy of the 1920 Property Tax for Grain Valley shows that Lloyd Williams sold Lot 7 to Dr. J. A. Wood during that year. A photograph at the Grain Valley Historical Society shows Dr. and Mrs. Wood and a group of “dressed to the nines’ ladies on the front steps of the home. They were identified as the Epworth League from the nearby Methodist Church having a “tea” at Dr. Wood’s home. By 1927, the taxes were paid by Amy wood, widow. The tax books are missing from 1927 until 1933, but in 1933, the taxes were paid by Rhoda Ashcroft Peerson. Ironically, her sister Lily was married to Grover Cleveland Tesch. Rhodie, as I knew her, was a Grain Valley “character!” She made and sold lye soap, beautiful rag rugs which she constructed on a huge loom that took up most of her dining room, and salve. She sold the salve in little tin cans and you can believe me, it would heal about anything from minor cuts to boils. Rhodie live there until her death in 1970. Ironically, I’m told the house is owned today by a great grandson of Lily Ashcraft Tesch. Another Grain Valley home packed with over 100 years of history and at least as many wonderful stories. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society
by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society On October 8, 1888, William and Nancy Davis filed with the Recorder of Deeds to establish Davis Place and added 19 lots to the Town of Grain Valley. The entire addition was 250 feet along the northern edge (walnut Street), 597 feet along the eastern edge (adjoining the Finnell addition) and 267.5 feet along the southern edge adjacent to the railroad, and 670.5 feet along the western edge (farmland). My extensive research has revealed nothing about William and Nancy Davis. I found a William Davis with a Napoleon address in the 1890s but there was no other information. The Abstract of Title was a gift to the Historical Society from Winona Burgess and the transactions mentioned in the title become specific to Lot 4 and East 17 feet of Lot 5, as noted on the cover of the document. The area included 50 feet frontage on Walnut Street and the lots are 140 feet deep. This land was first sold to W. C. and Lillian Morris on September 5, 1890. There were three additional owners between 1890 and 1895 when Lots 4, 5, and six were sold to W. T. W. and Nancy Douglas for $75. They owned the property until 1910 and I can only guess that the house was built during those years. When they sold the property to A. W. Dimmit on January 22, 1910, the recorded price was $750. In 1912 the west 16 feet of Lot 5 and all of Lot 6 were separated from the title and sold to Everett Snodgrass. The. Following year John Isenhour bought the remaining property for $800. After 1913, five additional families lived there, before Winona and Floyd Sharp purchased the house on January 24, 1941. The price had gone up to $900. Floyd Sharp owned the Grain Valley Lumber Yard just south of the railroad tracks on Main Street. They raised their son, David, in the home and he graduated from Grain Valley High School in 1959. Winona later married Charles Burgess and they lived there until the early 2000s.
I remember the house during those years. Winona was my Sunday School teacher and a close friend of my aunts. We often walked up Walnut Street to visit and have coffee (Kool-Aid for me). I most remember her back yard and her beautiful flower garden. Winona had every variety of flower and they bloomed from early springs until the fall frost. In the late 1950s, early 1960s she ran a beauty shop at the back of the house. In the 1970s she became a librarian when Mid-Continent built their first library in Grain Valley. Winona was a charter member and the first president of the Grain Valley Historical Society. If you’ve attended a meeting at the Grain Valley Community Center, you probably met in the Winona Burgess Room. So while I don’t know the current residents, and I didn’t know the original ones (I’m old, but not that old!) for me this house will always be Winona’s home. But most importantly, it is a Grain Valley original, with over 100 years of history in its’ walls. Visit the Historical Society on Wednesdays from 10 AM to 3 PM and learn more about early Grain Valley and the folks that called it home. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society If you are a regular reader of this column then you know I’m on a quest to discover more about some of the oldest homes in Grain Valley. This week, my curiosity led me to Yennie Street named for Peter Joseph Yennie who was a resident of Grain Valley according to the 1910 U. S. Census. His first wife, who died in 1912, was Minnie Cates. That’s right, Mrs. Minnie Yennie! He later married Willa Ann Turner and they moved to Strasberg, Missouri, in Cass County. On a 1904 city map, Yennie is an east/west street which ran along the northern edge of town. At that time there were only nine structures on the north side of the street. The building at the north end of Capelle Street was labeled Hard Shell Baptist Church. When it became a church and how long it existed is unknown to me. Several years ago, Patricia Parr Davis, spoke at a meeting of the historical society. Her talk, “Growing Up in Grain Valley,” included going up and down each street and telling who lived in each house in the early 1940s. She also referred to the Hard Shell Baptist Church at this location. Hard Shell Baptist –also known as Primitive Baptist, Regular Baptist, Old School Baptist and Foot Washing Baptist – are conservative Baptist adhering to a degree of Calvinist beliefs. They coalesced out of the controversy among Baptists in the early 19th century over the appropriateness of mission boards, tract societies, and temperance societies. Primitive Baptists are a subset of the Calvinistic Baptist tradition. The adjective "primitive" in the name is used in the sense of "original". If I were to talk about “growing up in Grain Valley, I would refer to the structure as the home of Guy and Hattie Thompson. According to the 1950 U. S. Census, the Thompsons lived in this house with their five children. Mr. Thompson died in 1953. My memory of the house goes back to the late 1950s when Mrs. Thompson lived there with her grown son Paul. He was always working on cars in the garage at the back. Maybe it was the steep roof, maybe it was because there was no front porch at that time, or maybe it was because my grandmother called it the old Hard Shell Baptist Church; at any rate, that’s what I think of when I drive past. I wonder who attended, if it was a large congregation, and when did it cease to exist. As usual, I have many more questions than answers. Today, at 120 plus years, it in an attractive, well-maintained piece of history with a pretty little front porch. If only the wall could talk! Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society
In planning the Historical Society calendar for 2024, it was decided to feature “Downtown” Grain Valley, as the grant from Missouri Main Street moves forward with revitalization efforts. As I did in 2023, each month I will feature the calendar page and attempt to tell you more about our town. For the month of January, you will see a 1904 map that includes the streets the Downtown Grain Valley committee is seeking to restore and modernize while attempting to maintain some of the historical character. So watch for some changes as we “refresh” our town from the railroad tracks North to Walnut and from Gregg Street East to Cypress. January 2024 Calendar Page. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society.
If you are looking for the Historical Society, it is on old Broadway Street, Lot Number 9 in the Graves’ and Ashcraft Add. Visit us any Wednesday between 10 AM and 3 PM. You can learn more about the museum and any other buildings in Downtown Grain Valley. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
If you have driven through the older parts of Grain Valley in the past year, you will have noticed that several older homes have gotten a face-lift. It’s almost like the Napiers have come to town; Erin and Ben from the popular TV show, “Home Town” on HGTV. And no, they aren’t related; well maybe! Ben Napier’s ancestors do come from the same area in Northern Scotland where my father was born. However, there are so many men with the same names; Ben, James William, Alexander, Charlie; that I have not been able to make a connection. This week’s house is on Front Street in what may have been part of the Davis Addition. The photograph above shows Nadine O’Connell outside the family home on Front Street. Nadine was born to John Thomas and Creola (Warren) O’connell on November 14, 1906. The information on the back of the photo only read “Nadine outside our home on Front Street.” From her size, I would imagine the photograph was taken in the summer of 1909 or 1910, because by 1911 Nadine had a baby sister, Danese. I’m guessing both girls would have been in the picture. By the 1950s I remember this home as the residence of Grandma Heidelberger. No, she wasn’t my grandmother, but it seemed like everyone in our then small town called her grandma. She was Margaret (McAlexander) Heidelberger (1870-1954), and she was the widow of August Heidelberger (1862-1928) an immigrant from Baden, Germany. I used to visit Grandma Heidelberger with my grandmother when I was quite young. I don’t remember who lived there after she died, and I don’t believe I was ever in the house after that time. I do know the house was owned by Nancy Totton and I assume it was inherited by her children after her recent death. Of course, the history buff in me would have gone for the original architectural style, but I’m really just happy this much older home in Grain Valley is being preserved and not torn down. Next time you are in town, cruise down Front Street and see the transformation taking place to this old house. It must be at least 125 years young. That’s what I believe you would call a house with “good bones!” by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society Built in the mid 1920s, the Loring Home is one of the oldest structures still standing in Grain Valley. It is located in what was the original town with the legal description being E ½ lots 33 & 34 Block 2 all vac 2nd Street LY S & AD (whatever that means) To me, it is the “old Loring House behind the tattoo parlor." When the 4 ½ acres, given to the town by James Lucas, were platted in 1878, the owner was D. M. Majors. The land had five more owners before 1908 when Ed Storms purchased the property. The Recorder of Deeds office did not date when Mr. Storms sold the land to William H. Loring, however on June 7, 1916 he purchased lot 19 and lot 32 from Warren Webb Mercantile Co. I believe he also purchased Lots 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, & 38 from Mr. Storms on this same date. Mr. Loring, and his wife Ada, now owned all of the lots on the east edge of the original town. Lot 19, on the north side of the Chicago & Alton Railroad tracks became Loring Hardware. The store was purchased by Charles & Mildred Napier in 1949 and renamed Napier Hardware in 1956 (when the final payment was made on the mortgage). As for the home, the current realtor tells me it was built in 1923. William Loring was born in 1857 in Massachusetts. His wife was born in Vermont in 1859. They were married in 1882. By 1900, according to the United States Census, they were living in Kansas City and William worked as a grocer. The 1920 census list their address as Broadway Street in Grain Valley. There are many references to our current Main Street being called Broadway in the late teens and early 1920’s. I’m guessing they probably received their mail at their hardware store on Broadway. I have been unable to find any record of the William and Ada Loring ever having any children or other family in Missouri. Mr. Loring died in 1930. Mrs. Loring ran the hardware store with the help of Abner Haynes until her death in 1942. They are buried in the Grain Valley Cemetery on Seymour Road, north of Grain Valley. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society
by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
Some of you may recall seeing this photograph before. While it was chosen for December in the Historical Society’s 2023 calendar, I previously ran this picture with an article in The Valley News in April of 2021, over 2 ½ years ago. The photograph, taken in 1939, is believed to be the Glee Club. I was first attracted to the picture because of the matching dresses, but mostly because of the shoes and socks. I learned that nylon stockings made their grand debut in a splashy display at the 1939 World's Fair in New York. They were not released for sale to the public until May 15, 1940. During this post-depression, pre-WWII period silk stockings were far too expensive and probably difficult to find! Thus, we have socks! While I do not recognize everyone in the photograph, I will point out those I do know. According to the 1939 yearbook, the music teacher is Mrs. Raymond Scott. Row one: Norma Jean (Williams) Carmack is the first student and next to her is Eugenia Williamson. The fifth girl in the front row is Benola Tate, followed by Sue (Caldwell) McBroom, Elouise (Stumpp) Shrout and Earlene (Tate) Mueller. In the second row, I believe the fourth girl is Dorothy Savage followed by Susie Reeder. As far as the men, the third row starts with Herbert Sebolt. The third boys is Norman McBroom, followed by Robert Wolfe. On the back row I recognize the second and third boys as Jack Mueller and Keith Shrout. The 1939 yearbook was only the third one published by the students at GVHS. Like the 1936 and 1938 books (none was published in 1937) the books only had a section for faculty and the Board of Education, and a section for each grade which included individual photographs along with the class history and class prophecy. The first several books had random activity pages, sometimes the basketball team, the drama club, a school play, or a few candid shots. But the kind of pictures like the one above were evidently taken for the students involved in group. It wasn’t until the 1941 publication that the yearbooks began to feature student organizations, like band, choir, the publications class, student council and sports. The elementary grades began to appear in the late 1940s. This is the last publication of the Valley News for 2023 as the publishers take a two-week break, AND SO DO I! I’ll be back in January with a series on houses in a around town. Merry Christmas and best wishes for a joyous New Year. See you in 2024! by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society
As the days keep getting shorter, we realize winter is nearly here. The winter solstice, which marks the first day of winter 2023, occurs on Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 10:27 p.m. EST. Winter solstice is the astronomical moment when the Sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn, we have our shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere in terms of daylight. Regardless of what the weather is doing outside your window, the solstice marks the official start of winter. For folks in Grain Valley, December 21st meant the Christmas program at school; yes, we could still call it Christmas and sing “Silent Night” by candlelight. Can any of you remember those Christmas programs when we sat on risers on the old gym floor, gathered around the “fresh” cedar tree. Girls wore their formals from prom or homecoming and our full skirts billowed out around us! The aroma from that tree filled the entire gym and spilled out into the stairway. And, by the way, no one ever asked where the senior boys got the tree! December 21st meant school was out, or it would be soon, for Christmas vacation. With any luck there would be snow on the ground and a “White Christmas.” A few years ago at the fraternity house where I worked in Columbia, several young men were seated around the breakfast table when I mentioned the classic song. To my surprise, and dismay, they didn’t know what I was talking about. I put the CD into the computer in my apartment, turned the volume ALL THE WAY UP, and played it over and over for the next three days. Needless to say, they were really happy for finals to end so they could go home for winter break. December 21st meant last minute shopping, getting out the sled, and baking cookies to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve. When Santa came to our house he got a plate of Mom’s best Jam Thumbprints, but at Christmas time they were topped with red or green maraschino cherries. JAM THUMBPRINTS (Mom’s recipe) 2/3 cup butter 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs (separated) 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups sifted flour /4 cup finely chopped nuts Red and green maraschino cherries, well drained Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add 2 egg yolks, vanilla, and salt; beat well. Gradually add flour, mixing well. Shape in 3/4-inch balls; dip in 2 slightly beaten egg whites, roll in chopped nuts. Place 1-inch apart on greased cookie sheet. Press center of each with thumb. Bake at 350-degrees for 15 minutes. Cool slightly, remove from pan and cool on rack. Top each with a cherry (or cherry or strawberry jam). Enjoy! The Historical Society will be opened on December 13 and 20 with Christmas Decorations, Vintage toys and Thumbprint Cookies, along with Coffee, Hot Tea and Punch! Come and visit! by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society The November calendar photo for 2023 features a photograph of the 1932 Women’s Basketball team coached by Noel Wilkerson and Luella Linewebber. The team was quite successful, winning the 1932 Conference Championship. Research in an old newspaper tells revealed the teams in the conference were
I find it interesting that the boys and girls played different teams but were in the same conference. Since Grain Valley did not have a yearbook until 1936 and athletic teams, musical groups and clubs were not always featured, it is really impossible to say who they might have played and beaten to become the Western Missouri Conference Champions! I can tell you that girls’ games featured six players from each team. There were three forwards and three guards and each played half-court. I do recognize a few players, only because they stuck around Grain Valley and I knew them in the 1950s and beyond. The team (left to right) Betty (Bartlett) Carpenter/Owens, Isabelle (Napier) Clark,( my dad’s sister, also known as Aunt Izzy), Imogene (Sebolt) Grossheider, and Edna (Rowe) Elliott. I do not know the girl holding the basketball but the two on each side of her were the Bush sisters, Evelyn and June. Since the newspaper listed June as the center, she is probably the one on the left. Aren’t centers usually the tallest player on the team? Next is Artis (Phillips) Rumbo. (Her first husband was mom’s cousin Jack, Uncle Porter’s son), Margaret Ann Hutchens, Mildred (Rumbo) Napier (I called her Mom!) Mary Chiddix and Merle (Houston) Costigan. Coach Wilkerson and Coach Linewebber are seated.
Note: Although this article is about the 1932 Girls’ Championship Team, I will point out that my father, a forward on the boys’ team was the high point scorer (8 points) as Grain Valley defeated Ruskin by a score of 17-15! by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society Sixty-eight years ago, the most sought-after toy in Grain Valley and indeed the nation was the famous coonskin cap, an exact replica of the one worn by Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. Of course, my brother got one for Christmas, along with several of his classmates. I am not sure what became of that hat. I am guessing it got tossed decades ago. But his Davy Crockett guns –they are still around. I typically go on the internet for some background information on my weekly topic. Just let me say, there is tons of information about David “Davy” Crockett, both the real David and the folklore Davy. It would take me days, maybe weeks to read it all. I will tell you that indeed, Davy Crockett was “…born on a mountain top in (East) Tennessee” on August 17, 1786. He grew up there and gained a reputation for hunting and storytelling. He was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1821. In 1827, he was elected to the U.S. Congress where his opposition to President Andrew Jackson, especially the Indian Removal Act led to his defeat in 1831. He was elected again in 1833, then narrowly lost in 1835, prompting his angry departure to Texas shortly thereafter. In early 1836, he took part in the Texas Revolution and died at The Alamo on March 6, 1836. David Crockett was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He was popularized by Walt Disney in 1955 when three episodes appeared on the hour long, Sunday evening television show, The Magical World of Disney (later renamed The Wonderful World of Disney). A mostly fictionalized account of a real American adventurer, "Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier" became a movie comprised of edited portions of the three episodes of Disney's VERY popular television series. It is a highly fictionalized version of the exploits of the frontier scout and adventurer. When the film begins there is a statement reading 'The characters and events in this photoplay are fiction....'. Well, this isn't completely true...quite a bit of the movie is truth. Crockett DID exist, as did many others in the film, such as General Andrew Jackson. And, some of the events happened...but the Disney writers decided that the real story of the man's life was too dull and so they just made stuff up. It's a shame, as Crockett was a very interesting and unusual character from 19th century American history. The Grain Valley Historical Society will be open on Wednesday, December 6, 13, & 20, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Come see the Davy Crockett guns, along with many other Vintage Toys! We will be serving Coffee, Tea, Punch and Homemade Christmas Cookies! All are welcome! The Davy Crockett cap gun and coonskin cap. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society
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