| September
2000
Tales of Powelton Past
by Scott Ryder
We are surrounded by history
in Powelton, but some of us just can’t seem
to get enough of it. You know who you are!
Some days, like when our roofs
are outlined with snow, it isn’t too hard to
imagine Powelton’s early days. For those of
you who are eager for a journey into the past, here
are some mystery Poweltonians to guide us back.
1) An elderly white couple,
born in England and of comfortable means. They have
three servants, one born in England and the other
two recorded as a black and a mulatto. The couple
adopted a young mulatto girl.
2) A middle-aged couple, native
Pennsylvanians, who live in their modest home with
their two unmarried adult male sons. All of the
men are engineers.
3) A man born in South Carolina
and his wife from Pennsylvania. They are extremely
well-off (they own half a city block) and have built
a compound including three homes, a greenhouse and
a stable. Three domestics and a coachman maintain
their elegant lifestyle.
4) The home of this successful
young couple is quite elegant. He’s a surgeon/dentist
born in Prussia, she’s American-born. They
have three young children and a live-in domestic
from Ireland.
5) This wealthy Irish widower,
retired from a lengthy career as a grocer/merchant,
has turned his attention to a new business venture
— building homes in a newly develop-ing community.
He intends to rent them out at a tidy profit. His
net worth in real estate in 1860 is $160,000.
These historical tidbits come
from the 1870 United States Census and the 1878 Smedly
ward maps. The neighbors of the past were:
1) Samuel and Ann Dobson, who
lived at 3416 Spring Garden. Later their large lot
was divided and 3414 was built about 1880. A row
of five brick one-story cottages c.1950 now occupy
the site.
2) Henry and Louisa Birkenbine
lived at 3511 Baring St. Their home was demolished.
In 1891, the Cochran family hired prominent architect
Wilson Eyre to design a new home, which is still
standing.
3) Joseph and Jane Wilson and
their extended family occupied 300-304 N. 35th St.
None of their homes remain. This site is presently
part of the Powel Elementary School.
4) Henry and Lizzy Justis lived
at 3401 Baring St. Their stone Italianate home still
stands with additions added to the back about 1890.
The building currently houses the crisis nursery
of Youth Services, Inc.
5) Robert Steen did not live
in the neighborhood. He and his heirs constructed
numerous homes in the village and managed them as
rental properties until about 1920. They include
my home at 315 N. 35th. Street, built in 1860. Like
most of the houses they built, it is in the Italianate
style.
The 1870 Census provides just
a brief snapshot of Powelton’s history. The
families described here are not typical since they
were all homeowners. Home ownership was rising dramatically
during this period, but renting was just as common
and many renters went uncounted in this census.
We generally think of this period
in terms of large extended families. In fact, the
early Victorians lived in what we would call nuclear
families. From the late Victorian era through the
early 20th century the large extended family became
more common both in American and England. One theory
suggests that this change had to do with rapid social
changes rather than economic hardship, since extended
families were common in both rich and poor households.
Look for more ‘Tales of
Powelton Past” in upcoming issues of the Post.
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