Book: Wintersville Citizen

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WINTIRSVIILLECIITUZEN


VOL. 2, NO. 49                                     THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1964 - TWELVE PAGES                                     $5.00 per year 1


THE


        By EVE SEITER
  Few  ordinary homes in the
  United States attain any degree of
  genuine antiquity.Our still youth-
  ful country is prodigal in its
  growth, sweeping aside the old,
  making way for the new. Only
  in recent years have most cities
  and villages begun to appreciate
  the value of preserving historic
  or interesting landmarks as ties
  with our past. County Historic
  Associations serve us well in
  bringing their influence to bear in
  the preservation of old homes,
  artifacts and historic sites. Our
  love affairs with old cities like
  Charleston, the French Quarter
  of New Orleans and the cities of
  New England attest to our need
  of and joy in these associations.
  The widening of Sunset Boule-
  vard will sweep away an old, old
  home of doubtful historical value
  but of great interest to the na-
  tives of this area. The familiar
  old, square, frame house situ-
  ated at 4101 Sunset Boulevard,
  is destined for commercial sal-
.- vage-or the torch within the next
  few weeks! Demolition will bring
  to an end the material life of this
  164 year old home!         ..
  The exterior of the ancient house'
  is deceptive. Years ago the own-
  ers shingled the siding and built
  long, inviting porches along the
  ell of the dwelling. Painted white,
  enclosed by a charming, old-
  fashioned garden, the spacious
  old home--like a woman aging
  gracefully--seems years years
  younger than 164!
  Pearl Rankin, formerly Mrs.
  Harry G. Cunningham, was a
  bride when she came to 4101
  Sunset Boulevard 51 years ago.
  The house had been purchased by
  her husband from the Miners and
  Mechanics Bank in 1890. It was
  situated on a 90 acre farm in two
  Townships, Cross Creek and Is-
  land Creek. The Island Creek
  portion today is the site of West-
  wood Estates. Located just three
  miles from   the Court House
  steps, one reached the farm by a
  narrow, dirt road--too narrow
  then as it is now! Mrs. Rankin
  noted that the width of the road
  was sufficient for just one buggy
  in 1913. One pulled over to the
  ditch to allow another rig to pass!
  Mrs. Rankin proceeded to make
  a home of the already ancient
  house. Two stairways and a front
  hall, large enough to accomodate
  a bed, connected the ten rooms.
  Ordinary fireplaces of fieldstone
  with wood mantels and 18 inch
  hearths glowed in every room, the
  only source of heat. Chatting in
  the sitting room which had been
  her bridal chamber, Mrs. Rankin


recalled that a glass of water
placed upon the mantel shelf at
night froze before morning, de-
spite the roaring fire!
Walls and ceilings of every room
in the house were wood, fashioned
from ten inch boards. Floors
were of random width oak planks
simply butted together. They re-
main unaltered today. Though the
walls and ceilings haye beencov-
ered over with thin wallboard
and oilcloth one may easily trace
the outline of the boards and of
the fireplaces with his fingers!
The original, old fieldstone
foundation and chimneys stand
mortared with mud untouched
after 164 years! Hand hewn, un-
peeled logs support the dwelling
as well today as in 1800. White-
washing is the only concession
made to the passing of time.
The shingles covering the out-
side of the house conceal the
original wood siding hung ver-
tically and grooved to appear like
stone. The walls are insulated


PATH


OF


PROGRESS


The old home prepared for razing.


Mrs. Jack Rankin points with pride to a painting ot ner Ib ye w ulu,


Ancient log beams and fieldstone foundations of the 164 year old home


with a lining of handmade clay
bricks!
As this writer and her hostess
toured the old home it seemed
quite plausible that in its youth
the dwelling may have been a
Stagecoach Inn! Mrs. Rankin de-
plores the fact that as a bride
she failed to probe the memories
of the elderly people then living,
who could have remembered. It
was Lucy Winters, long gone, a


lifelong resident of the area, who
made her home "somewhere in
the vicinity of Lovers Lane", who
tola the young bride, Pearl Cun-
ningham, that her home was once
a Stagecoach Inn. She related
various ribald incidents from her
memory but Pearl Rankin, alas,
waited too many years to verify
the stories.
Harry Cunningham died in 1928.
His widow remarried. She and


her husband. Jack Rankin, are
feverishly rushing completion of
their new home at the rear of'
the home in which Mrs. Rankin
has lived for 51 years. Mrs.
Rankin makes way for progress
with "an aching heart". The old
house has always been home to
her. A year ago she commission-
ed an artist to reproduce her
home on canvas, little dreaming
that a year later she would have


        uooryar a pump
only the painting and her memor-
ies of that home.
The new home will stand on the
remaining twelve acres of the
original 90. The old barn, corn
crib and grape arbor will sur-
round it. As much of the garden
as possible will bloom in the
dooryard. The old familiar furni-
ture, books and pictures will sof-
ten the harshness of the starkly
new dwelling. Mrs. Rankin will
surround herself with her flow-
ers, busy herself at her sewing
machine, which she never closes
except on Christmas Day. At 75
she will courageously create a
new home near the path of pro-
gress.


0� per copy


Orchids To

        YOU
 The election, of Tuesday, is
past history now but the people
of this area are to be congrat-
ulated on the finie turnout and pro-
gressive thinking they showed by
the passage of ALL the local
issues they were asked to vote
upon in their communities.
This Civic minded thinking of
our area voters will make for a
brighter future for All.


   VFW Being

   Formed In

   Wintersville
 Acting Commander Ed Rice has
 announced that the newly formed
 V. F. W. Post in Wintersville
 will hold election of officers on
 Friday, November 6 at 7:30 pm
 in his home on Maplewood Ave.,
 Wintersville.
 All those who have already join-
 ed and anyone interested in be-
 coming a charter member are
 urged to attend this meeting.
 Installation- of officers will be
 held on Saturday, November 7,
 at 7:30 pm in the Village Hall
 on Leonard Avenue.
 Myron Young, Chief of Staff
 of the Department of Ohio, will
 be the installing officer.
 All members, officers, and
 guests will be welcomed to attend
 this colorful installation.


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