The Friends of Historic Hannibal group celebrates historic architecture and bringing new life to old buildings. FOHH was created fourteen years ago by newcomers to the downtown “historic” residential and commercial area of Hannibal. Some of the founding members were new to Hannibal and some had grown up in Hannibal, moved away, and were returning. These newcomers were buying historic houses and buildings in the downtown area and renovating them for their own use. The members of this group meet once a month. They share their experience of living in the historic area and restoring the buildings. Some of the sharing includes blisters and calluses, as well as restoration tips, sources of materials, and contractors.

The fact that the group meets once a month, each time at a different location has helped keep interest going because it appeals to the curiosity factor, getting to see inside old houses and businesses. Refreshments are served and a tour is given by the owner of the building which includes information about the history and the renovation. For example, a recent meeting was held at 506-508 Bird, a double house owned by Candace and John Klemann. Present at the meeting were the original three couples who restored the building in 1995. Tales were told of the joys and pains of renovating the double house that had been condemned by the city before it was purchased. The "before" pictures spoke volumes of the work required to produce such wonderful results. Sharing renovation experiences and accomplishments is helpful for anyone embarking on a restoration project; it can keep the novice renovator from giving up in despair.

FRIENDS OF HISTORIC HANNIBAL

www.hannibalhistoricsocieties.org

VOLUME 16, ISSUE NO. 1, January 7, 2010

                         Next Meeting:

                 January 14, 2010, 7 p.m.

          1000 Bird St. aka Rockcliffe,

         Home of Ken and Lisa Marks

Happy New Year

                Look at the Volume number on this newsletter. 16 years! Who would have thunk it? What a vibrant group we are. Thanks to everyone old and new for making FOHH a Hannibal institution!

Our Next Meeting will be Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 1000 Bird Street, the lovely 13,500 square foot American Castle which is the current home of Ken and Lisa Marks. Be sure to be there and bring a friend.

Preservation in Hannibal – Part 3

(The following article is to stimulate conversation. It does not represent an official position taken by FOHH.)

                As we have seen in the past two newsletters, there is no real aversion to regulating property rights in Hannibal. Sin-based regulation comes easily here. However, there are a number of historic currents underlying the “It’s mine, I can let it rot if I want to” mentality.

                One of my mother’s favorite sayings is, “Too poor to paint, too proud to whitewash.” (She was an immigrant to Missouri from Indiana.) The saying sums up the Southern notion that you would rather have the neighbors think you lazy or indifferent than to confirm you are too poor to take care of your property.

                Certainly some of the roots of this sentiment go right down to slavery. Prior to 1865 in Hannibal, anyone who was anyone either owned or leased slaves for menial and manual work. Any work that was hard and involved muscles was reserved for the slaves. Nearly every building, road, and railway constructed prior to 1860 was built with slave labor. In the caste system that existed, menial work was literally beneath white people – even poor white people. A poor white person would rather die than be seen doing “nigger work.”

                Slave labor in Missouri was replaced by immigrant labor in the last third of the 19^th Century. Of course, the children of immigrants assimilated into the caste system. They adopted the cultural norms as their own. If you doubt this analysis, compare river towns in the old Northwest territory settled by New England pioneers or German immigrants after the aborted European uprisings of the 1840s with their counterparts on the south bank of the Ohio or west bank of the Mississippi.

                This is not to suggest there is nothing we can do about “It’s mine I can let it rot if I want to.” On the contrary, we must take it into consideration. We make a grave error when we try to shame individuals or belittle them for a lack of preservation ethic. Often we only deepen the prevalent community-wide low esteem that manifests itself in the uncollected trash and decaying facades.   We widen the gap between us and them.

                We must nurture a feeling of inclusion. In the 1880s publishers put out compilations of “prominent” people in the community, frequently with photos of their houses. Why not document the childhood and present houses of our mayor, city council members, merchants, physicians, and county commissioners. Like those publishers knew 130 years ago, nothing is more appealing to people than their own story. Why don’t we give it to them and emphasize their connection to place?

                Another possibility would be to develop our own façade program. We could provide labor and paint to fix a designated property. A few years ago, you will recall we painted a house at the Battle of Athens State Park in one day. We could even come up with small matching grants to encourage improvement. (I stole this idea from Quincy.) Let’s talk about it Thursday.



"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go on."

                      --Andrew Jackson

If you want something in the newsletter,

contact Terrell below and he will list it for you.

Friends of Historic Hannibal

926 Center St.

Hannibal MO 63401

2009-2010 Officers

President: Carrie Smashey carrie@ddrm.net

Vice President: Bill Conley

Secretary: Mia Fleegel miafleegel@hotmail.com

Treasurer: Doug Warren

Newsletter: Terrell Dempsey terrell@ddrm.net

Webmaster: Nancy Talley realnct@centurytel.net

One of FOHH’s most challenging projects has been restoration of the Old Baptist Cemetery. The cemetery had been neglected for many years; in fact many people were not aware it existed. The FOHH group took on the task of clearing brush, and locating stones, and then persuaded the city to remove dead trees. Now that the dead trees and brush are cleared out, the city keeps the cemetery mowed. FOHH has turned its attention to setting up stones which have fallen over and recording as much information as possible from the stones before the weathering makes them illegible. FOHH has also brought attention to some very interesting graves, including the stone marking a slave who belonged to Laura Hawkins’s mother, and black and white Civil War gravestones. FOHH schedules work days at the Old Baptist Cemetery beginning in spring, and continuing into fall. The September meeting for FOHH is an evening picnic in the cemetery.

FOHH holds a home tour every year. The purpose of the tours is to promote appreciation of Hannibal’s and the surrounding area's old buildings and history. Money from the tours helps fund projects which FOHH helps support, such as books on historical architecture for the library, restoration on the rural Mt. Zion Church, the restoration of the 1858 Marion County Jail in Palmyra, Palmyra’s Gardner House Museum, the Dr. Eels House, preservation education in the Hannibal area including Old Baptist Cemetery, Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Palmyra’s Lincoln School Memorial and donations to groups in the area who are struggling to preserve their history.

The Friends of Historic Hannibal will host its 12^th Annual Homes Tour, Sunday, April 19 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Five historic homes will be featured in this year’s tour and will be open to the public. Tickets are only $5.00 (five dollars) and can be purchased the day of the tour at any of the homes on view.

The theme this year is “work in progress,” and will focus on houses that are in the process of restoration. Hannibal’s stock of affordable historic homes is an important asset to the community and continues to attract many new residents to town. People from all parts of the country come here to invest in the fine old Victorian homes that can be purchased for a fraction of the price elsewhere. These immigrants bring with them new assets for the community. Many of these newcomers have been at the very heart of the downtown revival America’s Hometown is experiencing.

This year the Homes Tour will feature five homes that are conveniently situated near one another.

The first home on the tour is the 1884 Andrew G. Brown House at 124 N. Maple owned by Jack Klotz. It is a rare example of what architectural historians refer to as Eastlake Victorian Stick-style.

The second home is directly across the street at 125 N. Maple. The builder of this pre-1899 structure is unknown. It was built as a double house – what we would call today a duplex. It is in the Italianate style with a Colonial Revival Porch.

207 North Maple is the third house owned by Jackie Karlock. Known as the Doyle-Mounce House, this Second Empire style house is one of the least altered houses in Hannibal of the period. It was built before 1880.

1020 Center Street, home of Lynette and Randy Doty, is the Jesse H. McVeigh House. Another Second Empire example, it was constructed between 1885-1888.

The final home on the tour is the Lamb-Munger House at 521 Bird, built around the Civil War. The home of Pat and Bob Yapp, the house is in the Italianate style. Bob Yapp uses the house as a classroom for historic preservation techniques. As a nationally known expert, Yapp teaches both Hannibal students and adults from around the country on how to do everything from refinishing floors to repairing windows.

Friends of Historic Hannibal meets the second Thursday of every month, and is open to anyone interested in historic preservation. Location of the meetings are announced in a monthly newsletter available on line at www.hannibalhistoricsocieties.org.

The Taiwan Project

Hannibal High School Garden Tour

June 21, 1-4 p.m.

Tickets available at the gardens for $5

Five Incredible Gardens!

The Taiwan Project is a cultural exchange program that began six years ago with the help of the University of Missouri. In this program students learn about another culture through videoconferencing, through e-mail exchange, and ultimately through a visit to the other country. All students at Hannibal High are eligible and encouraged to participate in the Taiwan Project. We are currently raising funds to run an English Conversation Camp from July 7-20 in Taiwan.

	Mr. and Mrs. Cruse, 9 Stillwell Place. A gardener’s paradise describes the Cruses’ garden. Their large garden is behind their beautiful Queen Anne style home. The garden contains a greenhouse and barn both of which the Cruses designed and built. You will enjoy the Cruses’ greenhouse, which has a sitting area in front complete with a fireplace and gardener’s library. You will also enjoy strolling under their pergola as you admire their plantings.
	Mr. and Mrs. Haner, 508 Country Club Drive. The Haners’ garden began when Kurt created a small perennial garden for his wife to celebrate their 5^th wedding anniversary. Now their gardens include an English woodland garden and an Asian garden. Their woodland garden began when they received plants from Kurt’s mother and their grandmothers. Inspiration for the Asian garden came from Kurt’s trips to Taiwan. The Haners share their love of gardening with Kurt’s mom and their grandmothers
	Mr. and Mrs. Haycraft, 1104 Central Avenue. After walking up the steep drive, you will never want to leave the serenity of the Haycrafts’ garden. You will want to just sit and enjoy the ambiance of the large garden pond filled with Koi. Surprisingly, Mr. Haycraft calls himself the “Reluctant Gardener.” You will enjoy following the trail along the terraced water garden and stopping at the sitting areas to enjoy the view. The garden trail also leads to the Orschelns’ garden.
	Mr. and Mrs. Orscheln, 1110 Central Avenue. Mr. Orscheln has done an artful job combining rock, brick, and timber to create a terraced woodland garden. You will enjoy exploring their hillside garden, which also contains a waterfall. For fifteen years, the Haycraft and Orscheln families have enjoyed completing garden projects together.
	Veterans Elementary, The Reading Patio. Veterans Elementary has created an outdoor classroom where students can relax in the shade of a pergola, surrounded by beautiful perennials, enjoying their favorite book. Mrs. Jean Meyer and the gardening club students met on Tuesdays and Thursdays to create this tranquil area on the east side of Veterans Elementary.