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by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society Today I left the post office and took a walk, over to Front Street and west a couple of blocks. I turned North, back to Walnut. I proceeded further North on Thieme to Yennie, Yennie to Gregg Street, then South, back to the post office. Along the route, I took several photographs of houses in Grain Valley that are at least 100 years old. I have many more old homes to write about. But, when I began to write my article, I realized that all of the background information is at the Historical Society. That’s a problem because the museum is closed for a couple of weeks while the 25-year-old carpeting is being removed and new laminate flooring is being installed. So, while you usually learn about the historical society calendar page at the end of the month, this time the March photo description is early! Downtown Grain Valley
A view from Front Street, Circa 1950 Beginning on the left, Grain Valley had a pool hall in town during much of the 1940s and 1950s. I was never in the pool hall, as only men played pool in public. At least that was true in Grain Valley. In the early 1950s Dr. Charles Himmler had his office on the second floor. Dr. Himmler was a chiropractor and he also did eye exams. (He prescribed my first pair of glasses in 1959.) Next we see the Bank of Grain Valley, built in 1905. The door at the rear opened to stairs that lead to a meeting room. I recall that the Eastern Star met there and I have been told that the VFW also used the space. During World War II, various women’s groups met there to knit sweaters, hats, and gloves and make quilts to pack into gift boxes sent to local men stationed overseas. The third building is actually across Main Street. Over the years, that building has had a variety of businesses from hotel and marina to plastics plant, pawn shop, and tattoo parlor. The next building with the gas pumps out front was Huff’s Garage when this photograph was taken. In the late 1920s and 30s it was also a small hotel. Visitors to Sni-A-Bar Farms often stayed there while studying the agricultural experiments taking place on the farm. The upstairs rooms were converted to two or three apartments in the 1940s and 50s. Finally, we get a very small glimpse of the hardware store, Circa 1902. It burned, along with the Huff Building in December, 1959. The Historical Society will reopen on Wednesday, March 27 at 10:00 AM. Come visit and see our new floor!
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by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society I cannot be sure when the Yennie Addition was annexed into the Town of Grain Valley, but I do know it was around 1910. This is going to require another trip to the Recorder of Deeds office in Independence. I can tell you that the Yennie Addition covered the land from Walnut Street north to Yennie and from Gregg Street west to Thieme, a big square block with a branch running through the middle. Originally, Lots 1 through 6 were owned by Jasper N. Sanders, my great grandfather. It was on these six lots that he had three homes built; one for each of his daughters. The Sanders Sisters Mittie Frances (1889), Lula May (1887), and Ruth Arene (1892) Lula, the oldest married Walter Elliott and for a short time they lived in the middle house. By 1920 that home was sold to Ida Russell, a widow with a daughter, Goldie Russell Montgomery. Fant and Rena Ewing lived there through most of the 1940s and 50’s. The Johnson Family lived there in the 1960s and 70s. Tim and Stacey Hunter lived there in the 1980s and 1990s. More recently, the home was renovated, and the Hall family lives there. Mittie married Elmer Rumbo in July, 1906. I’m unsure of where their first home was, but I believe they moved to Walnut Street around 1910. I’ve been told their home at the corner of Walnut and Capelle was the first of the three to built. I know for certain their second daughter, my mother, was born in that house on April 29, 1914. She was so small she was placed on the oven door in the kitchen to keep her warm. He father took one look at her and called her a little “Mutt,” a name that stayed with her until he died. The Rumbos remained in the home until Mittie’s death in 1975. For a while, the Martin family lived there and the Nading Family. I do not know who currently owns the home. Ruth married James I. Belford. They only lived in the house on the east end of the block (corner of Walnut and Gregg) a few years before they moved to Oklahoma. Uncle Jib was born there before it became a state. The taxes were paid by Elmer Rumbo through 1933 and I sort of remember hearing that the house was rented to various tenants. In 1934, the property was purchased by Opal (Rumbo) and Clyde Fristoe. They lived there for the rest of their lives. Opal died in 1995 and Clyde died in December 1997. Since that time the house was owned by Mrs. Golden and for the last several years it has served as the parsonage for the First Baptist Church. Mittie & Elmer Rumbo Lula & Walter Elliott Ruth and James Belford
Next week I hope to present more “homes with a history.” Who says older, well-built homes won’t last a lifetime; maybe two or three lifetimes. If there is an older home in Grain Valley you would like to know more about, contact me. I’ll do my best. I’m at the Historical Society Museum on Wednesdays from 10 AM to 3 PM, or leave a message in the Valley News or on our website gvhistory1878@gmail.com. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society You know what people say about hindsight. Looking back, I certainly wish we had some old calendars from previous Leap Years. Throughout history, various events have occurred on February 29, the actual day marking leap year. For example, George Armstrong Custer fought the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876), the Titanic sank (1912), Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning is electricity (1752), and gold was discovered in California (1848). By inserting ("intercalculating") an additional day, a leap day, or month, a leap month, into some years, the drift between a civilization's dating system and the physical properties of the solar system can be corrected. We do have a 2024 Leap Year Calendar and the historic photographs for the year featuring Downtown Grain Valley. The February photo was given to the Historical Society by Alan Lefko and Mr. Lefko told me it was given to him by someone who noted it was the year he was born! (I hope he doesn’t mind that his age has been revealed.) Downtown Grain Valley, circa 1933
The photographer was probably standing on the east side of Main Street a block south of the railroad. It is difficult to determine what was in each of the buildings. In the foreground on the left we can see what must have been an auto repair shop. At least we can be sure they sold Goodyear tires. Across the tracks we clearly see the Bank of Grain Valley which still had a corner entrance. Beyond the bank was Storm’s Pharmacy and in the distance the Sni-A-Bar Bank building and the Christian Church. On the right side of the of the photograph is the old lumber yard. It is impossible to see the remaining buildings which would have been Loring Hardware, a hotel, the Ryan Building, and the grocery store which was owned by Edward and Otis Williams in the early 1930s. While there are few cars parked along the street, this shows our peaceful little town during The Great Depression (1929-1939) and just prior to World War II. It certainly makes one wonder how many families were still using horses or walking? Electricity was not in every home, certainly not water, and just out of view on the right there was an icehouse. Many homes got 25# blocks for their ice box. My grandfather would tell you that refrigerators were a luxury in most Grain Valley homes in the 1930s! If you have a leap year calendar you are will to part with, please bring it to the Historical Society Museum. It is open on Wednesdays from 10 AM – 3 PM. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society The oldest Municipal Tax Book at the Grain Valley Historical Society begins with the year 1920. At that time, the houses along the north side of Yennie Street, from Broadway (now Main Street) to Thieme were known as the Johnson’s Addition to Grain Valley. There were 17 lots. In 1920, Harvey A Johnson owned the West 40 feet of lot 12 and all of lots 13, 14, 15, and 16. John W. Stephenson owned lot 17. James H. Webb owned 10 feet of the East side of lot 12 and all of lot 11, the Hard Shell Baptist Church (Valley News, January 23, 2024). The Stillion’s House
The house above sits on Lot 16. While I cannot know for sure when this house was built, I can only guess that it may have been built before 1920. At the very least, I believe there was some type of structure there because the taxes on lot 16 were $6.70 while the taxes on lots 14 and 15 were 70-cents each. Lot 13 probably had a building as well because it was taxed at $5.50. In 1922 someone wrote across the ledger, in pencil, ”not In town.” I’m not sure why they paid taxes if they were “not in town.” As always, when I research town history I’m left with more questions than answers! In the tax records we are missing between 1927 and 1933 Mr. Johnson sold his land as follows: West 40 feet lot 12 and lot 13 to B. C. Raines; lot 14 and East ½ of lot 15 to Fannie Graham; West ½ of lot 15 and lot 16 to Mary Grace and Emma Hoehn and lot 17 to Frank Anderson. As a young girl living in Grain Valley, I remember the Thompson house; the old church. I remember Mrs. Raines home. She was a widow by then. Mrs. Raines gave piano lessons. The house on lot 14/15 had been sold to Woody and Naomi Graham. Finally, the house in the photograph. It was known as the Stillions’ house but actually it was the Hoehn’s Sisters Home (No relation to the Haynes Sisters in White Christmas! It just sounds the same.) Frank Stillions came to Grain Valley to teach at the high school. He later became the superintendent. In 1946, at the age of 50 he married Grace Hoehn, a teller at the Bank of Grain Valley. The “old maid” sisters had shared the home until Emma died. It was then that Grace, also 50 years old, married Mr. Stillions. They left Grain Valley so he could teach for a year at CMSU, I believe. That was the first time that Jean and Bill Evans lived in the house. The Stillions returned for a couple of years and it was then that the garage and family room were added at the rear. Eventually, they retired or downsized as we say today. The Evans family bought the home where they lived until 1964. That was the same year that I left for Mizzou, so I do not remember the families that have lived in the home over the past 60 years. When I drive past the house today I think of the great times I had there with my good friend, Stephanie Evans. That house has stories to tell! Stop by the Grain Valley Historical Society any Wednesdays from 10:00am - 3:00pm. I can tell you a few! by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society It seems that every time I finish an article for this column I learn something more I could, perhaps should, have included in the story. That has been particularly true the last few weeks. Each time a story is published, someone has contacted me via email or in person to give me new information. That’s good for two reasons. First, I’m able to learn and share more information about our town. And second, it tells me that at least one person has read my column that week. I recently learned from an historical society member that her grandmother, Creola Warren, was a member of the Hard Shell Baptist Church –also known as Primitive Baptist. (Valley News, February 1, 2024) Indeed, the member’s ancestor, Zachariah Warren donated the land where the first New Liberty Baptist Church was built on Colburn Road. Zachariah’s son William A Warren built the first hardware store, circa 1900, in Grain Valley and moved into town. Creola was his daughter. Exactly when the Warrens began attending the Primitive Baptist Church is uncertain. They may have begun meetings in homes. At some point, they may have met in the home of James Webb. The location of his home may have been on Lot 11 and 10 feet on the east side of Lot 12 in the Johnson Addition. (located on the north side of Yennie Street). At the Grain Valley Historical Society, we have two property tax record journals. One dates from 1920 to 1925, and the second journal covers the years 1933 through 1945. From those journals I learned that the property was owned by James H. Webb in 1920. The first year that a tax exemption was given to the church was in 1924, perhaps the year church was established, or at least the year they congregants began meeting there on a regular basis. The property remained in Webb’s name until 1934. After that time the record simply read “church” and for a couple of years the record read “Primitive Church.” In 1945, the final recorded year in the journal, Lot 11 and 10 feet on the east side of Lot 12 was owned by Guy B. Thompson. Thus, we can only assume that the Hard Shell Baptist denomination existed in Grain Valley for at least 20 years, from 1924 to 1945. As for the two-story rock house on the northwest corner of Walnut and Capelle, (Valley News, February 8, 2024), another member of the historical society brought me a scrapbook filled with newspaper clipping kept by her grandmother, Ona Baumgardner. Among the clippings was a photograph of Rhoda Ashcroft Peerson at her loom. I further learned that she moved into the home around 1932, purchasing the home from Amy Wood, Dr. Wood’s widow. She moved to Grain Valley from her home southwest of Oak Grove after the death of her husband, John W. Peerson. The Peersons are buried in the Brown Cemetery on Stillhouse Road, southeast of Grain Valley. Rhoda Ashcraft Peerson, at her loom. Circa 1956. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society
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!” |
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