Historic Cape house being restored with care

In 2003 Robert and Kaye Hamblin moved from their comfortable home of more than 38 years to live in a house that was more than a century old and suffering from neglect.

The process of breathing life into their home on Themis Street in Cape Girardeau is the subject of the couple's book, "This House, This Town: One Couple's Love Affair with an Old House and a Historic Town."

The book originally was going to be an informational handout for visitors to their home, known as Harrison House. However, as the couple began researching, one of the previous owners brought them the original abstract, tracing the roots of the land to the late 1700s when it was acquired by Louis Lorimier from the Spanish government. The more the Hamblins researched the house, the larger the project became.

"As we began digging into it, it got more and more fascinating, and the book grew from just initially a small, planned summary of the house, which we could just give to visitors. It turned into more of our involvement with the house, our family history, our living downtown by the river. The history of the house is tied to the history of the community with Lorimier. A lot of people mentioned in the abstract are very prominent in the history of Cape Girardeau and the region," Robert Hamblin said.

The house was built in 1898 for Dr. Samuel Harris, the postmaster of Cape Girardeau, and his wife, Julia Russell Harris.

The Harrison House, 313 Themis St., was part of the 2010 Historic Preservation Month Walk, which was sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission. (Fred Lynch)

"She was connected to the Bollingers of the Bollinger Mill and the Russells of St. Louis, two notable families, very wealthy," Hamblin said. "We think she was the one who designed the house, planned it and secured the architect from St. Louis. Samuel Harris died when the house was being built, and Julia moved in for three or four years, then she died and the house went to her descendants, who sold the house to William Harrison, a notable family in Cape Girardeau."

From 1903 to 1986 three generations of the Harrison family lived in the house. For the next 17 years the house had several owners before the Hamblins purchased it in 2003.

"We came to a Tunes at Twilight concert at the park and parked in of the house," Hamblin said. "When we came back to the car, we saw the for sale sign in the yard. We made an appointment to come look at it. Over the next several weeks, we contemplated whether we wanted to leave the house we had lived in for over 38 years. We figured we would retire and settle down there and save our money for travel. Then we fell in love with this house."

For the next year, work crews were busy making necessary repairs to the house, which Robert said were mostly superficial.

"The house actually looked in worse condition than it was," he said. "It just needed some paint and repair. It hadn't had much attention. It was cosmetic."

Some of the issues facing work crews included repairing water damage to the porch and balcony, replacing bricks and chimney tops and repairing interior walls.

Hamblin said although many people buy older houses and modernize them, he and Kaye wanted to restore their historic home, not renovate.

"We took out lot of modern things," he said. "The only thing we wanted modern was the kitchen. We pulled out carpet to go to hardwood. We tore out the shower to go to the claw foot tub."

They kept original molding, hardware and light fixtures.

Kaye Hamblin said they have also tried to maintain the feel of the time period through the furnishings. With the major renovation complete, she said her favorite part of the house is still the one that caught her attention seven years ago.

"My favorite is the foyer," she said. "The day we came to tour the house, we stepped in there and I just went 'Wow.' I think the woodwork, the stained glass windows make it just a beautiful room."

The Hamblins said the restoration process involved many people. The Historic Preservation program at Southeast Missouri State University helped get the house placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hamblin's children and grandchildren helped with restoration work.

"Working on the Southeast Missouri State University helped get the house placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hamblin's children and grandchildren helped with restoration work. Neighbors offered encouragement.

"Working on the house, we learned to have a greater respect for community involvement," Robert Hamblin said. "I think it is a good lesson for us to learn. We are not individuals, we belong to a community."