Leora Goff Wilson lived at 505 North 4th Street in Guthrie Center for nearly forty years. It was a small two-bedroom home with one bathroom. Her big dining room table, which originally belonged to her folks when they lived in the Victorian house during the 1920s, barely fit in the dining room, so it was hard to get everyone seated.
Leora, 58, and her mother, Laura Goff, moved into the new house February 10, 1948. Laura, age 79, had been living in Omaha near several sons since the Great Depression. The widows made a home together in that little house for four fourteen years, until Laura died in late 1962 (my freshman year of college). Leora, by then 72 years old, had never lived alone before.
The house had a full basement, with very steep open stairs. The furnace and the washing machine were down there, along with an extra bed and the buffet that matched the big dining room table. Every autumn, Leora lugged potted plants (including a really nice rubber plant) down those steep steps to store until spring. She’d find pots for plants still in the ground so they could also overwinter in the basement.
When the little house was sold in 1988, the new owners bought the even smaller house to the north and had it taken down. Using both lots, they remodeled Leora’s house, building the new part to the north. The front entrance is north of where the old one was. You’d never guess this handsome home started out as a tiny white frame house.
Here’s a response from the current owner of “Grandma’s House”: Joy,
Thank you so much for sharing this story! It was my husband, Steve, and I who were so fortunate to buy your Grandma Wilson’s home back in 1988. This was during the time of high interest rates (14-16%?) but this home was perfect for us! We had a 9-month-old son and we were starting a new business in town, which was 2 hours away from our family. To say we were a bit nervous, is an understatement, but we were never worried about this home! Steve’s uncle, Theron (Pud) Barnett from Linden, went through the home and said it was in excellent condition! There was only 1 small sag in a floor joist and a floor jack took care of that. We always loved knowing the house had been loved and well cared for! You mentioned the steep stairs, they are in the same exact location, but they are enclosed so they don’t seem steep.
Over the last 36 years, the home has seen many friends and family come and go, and several remodels and additions, to make room for the friends and family, but the heart of the home and the good bones, are all still here.
But you know that tiny, wood frame house is still at the heart of this ‘new’ ranch-style. How do they put it… good bones!
Yes, good bones! Thank you, GP.
I love learning the history of houses.
So do I!
So many memories! One, from the single bathroom. The “ever-present” smell of the green AirWick bottle. When conversations became all the adults, I spent many Sunday afternoons (when the weather wasn’t so good) reading the wartime letters. Always returning them to the downstairs buffet. Just like I found the them! So glad I did! “Leora’s Letters” more possible to be created. Bob
Oh, I wish I could remember aromas! I love knowing you’d already read the old letters. Once as an adult, I went down with Grandma, your mom, and my mom. They wanted to look at some of the letters, but as soon as they looked at a bit of handwriting, they were in tears. Now I understand. I not only recognize their handwriting, when typed up I know which brother wrote the letter. lump in throat
My mother had one of those green AirWick bottles in our tiny downstairs bathroom!
These little details give me goosebumps!
They’ve done a nice job! Glad they didn’t tear that one down, too!
I guess it was too sturdy!
I love all of this history, Joy – and the vision you created of the steep stairs and carrying plants down reminded me of Paul’s mother, Maxine, and her diligence in protecting her precious plants – even though the stairs were terrifying with a heavy load in her hands. xo! 💕
I wonder whether the new owners ever changed those stairs! They were kinda scary for me as a child since there was only a wooden railings and no walls.
I totally felt that — scary — from what you wrote! 😳
I lived in a Japanese-styled home (It had shoji sliding doors, among other unique things) during high school, which was also my parents’ last home for 40+ years. I occasionally (once a year) just to see the old place. It brings up nostalgic feelings each time.
I’ll bet it bring up stories as well!
The brick part and everything to the left in the photo is the original house? Everything to the right of the brick part is new? The house looks well-cared for.
Yes, the brick part was the crowded dining area with the kitchen behind it.
Ah, OK.
You’ve done great research into your family history, Joy, and the story of your family is captivating.
I didn’t realize I’ve been in training for this my whole life, then became the Keeper of all these letters, photos, and stories. Thankful for it! Thank you, Tim.
You do make your family history come to life…we can ‘step inside’ if you will. Thank you for the invitation to hear the stories of times gone by, but not forgotten, houses that have changed, but the people who lived within them that made a difference in this world.
Bless you, Linda. I’m surprised that little details keep coming up.
The architect did a fantastic job enlarging Leora’s cozy home. It appears to be set very close to the front sidewalk bordered by a wide devil’s strip. The age of this house is disguised very well-love its history! 🙂
Yes, thank you, Nancy. I’ve never heard the term devil’s strip before, so I looked it up! When I was a child, the street wasn’t yet paved and we drove right up next to the sidewalk on a sort of grassy area (after we turned south off of Ordway–I always liked that street name).
I looked it up to see why you weren’t familiar with it. It appears to be regional and used in Ohio. I know it as the strip of land between the sidewalk & the road. The city owns the property. 🙂
I am sure the walls of the original house are still there and have absorbed much of Laura and Leora’s warmth. I am sure they were very happy there. ♥
That’s lovely to think about, isn’t it, Sally.
Joy,
Thank you so much for sharing this story! It was my husband, Steve, and I who were so fortunate to buy your Grandma Wilson’s home back in 1988. This was during the time of high interest rates (14-16%?) but this home was perfect for us! We had a 9-month-old son and we were starting a new business in town, which was 2 hours away from our family. To say we were a bit nervous, is an understatement, but we were never worried about this home! Steve’s uncle, Theron (Pud) Barnett from Linden, went through the home and said it was in excellent condition! There was only 1 small sag in a floor joist and a floor jack took care of that. We always loved knowing the house had been loved and well cared for! You mentioned the steep stairs, they are in the same exact location, but they are enclosed so they don’t seem steep.
Over the last 36 years, the home has seen many friends and family come and go, and several remodels and additions, to make room for the friends and family, but the heart of the home and the good bones, are all still here.
Joy, I would love to have you visit and see that so much of Grandma’s home is still here! Message me and we can make arrangements! Take care! Vicki Crannell
Vicki! Thank you so much! You showed the house to Aunt Darlene Scar, but Mom and I never stopped when we’d drive by. (Aunt Darlene’s twin was Dale Wilson, the brother who has never been found.) I did sent a couple of Christmas cards to you decades ago. Thank you for the lovely offer. We both have health issues so we don’t get out much, but my husband (who has Parkinson’s, probably from his service in Vietnam) enjoys Sunday dinner at the Cabbage Rose!
What a moving and amazing story. You write beautifully. I love the comment from Joy.
Thank you, Cindy! This is the only home where I knew Grandma Leora, who lost three sons during WWII and was widowed, all within a three-year period. She is the reason I became a writer–to tell here stories. Three books so far of her history, and I’m up to when she moved into the little white house!