Renovation reveals house's past

A name in a schoolbook sparked a search for a home's history.

"It's more than just a home, it's a place where people lived, loved and laughed," said Shelly Goss, who has worked at restoring a historic home at 326 N. Middle St. in Cape Girardeau for the past 18 months. She has also been researching the home's past.

Goss has been tearing down wallpaper, repairing plaster, stripping, sanding and repainting woodwork within the home. She took on the job when another renovator, co-worker Joy Bell, asked if she'd be interested.

Bell and Robert Polack Jr. are the sixth owners of the home, which has been in Polack's family for over 75 years. Robert Polack Jr. is the third generation of Polacks to live in the house. His grandparents bought it in 1927. Their oldest daughter, Marie, then lived there raising her child, Bob Jr. He acquired the house in 2001 and began renovating it.

'I felt a responsibility'

Built in 1893, the four-bedroom home was believed to have only two previous owners. Sparked by the discovery of a child's schoolbook, Goss found that the home actually had five previous owners.

The schoolbook was found in July while working on the second-floor master bathroom. The book was inscribed with the name Hawkins Betten, which no one had heard of, she said.

"I felt a responsibility to find out more about this person," Goss said.

With help from the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center in Jackson, Goss relied on census, school and tax records. More in-depth information was revealed in newspapers. Goss persevered in her investigation of the house as she thought about putting together a scrapbook on the home's history.

Land for the home was first purchased from Conrad Stehr by Otto Henry, the builder, on April 5, 1893, for $350.

Julia Hawkins Betten later bought the home for $2,400 on March 5, 1898. In 1911, she bought a garden spot, measuring 20 by 130 feet, beside the house. She and her husband, Chris, had three children. Chris Betten was a city clerk for 25 years and also owned the St. Charles Hotel in Cape Girardeau. He also worked for Julia's father, Judge D.L. Hawkins, as a personal secretary while he was the assistant secretary of the interior, under Grover Cleveland.

Their son, Hawkins Betten, named after his mother's maiden name, was the owner of the schoolbook Goss discovered. Inscribed on the inside cover was his name, address and the date of March 7, 1907. Stories from well-known authors are included in the book. Information about Hawkins ends when he moved to Hollywood, Ca., sometime between 1911 and 1918.

On Sept. 21, 1911, Henry Lance bought the home for $5,000. He was the co-owner of Stein and Lance flour mill in Cape Girardeau. The mill burned down in 1914, a year before he died. Lance was forced to take a job as a night watchman at a shoe factory because the mill had been underinsured. He worked there until he was too sick to hold down a job. Lance later died in the home. His wife, Tillie, then became the sole owner. She sold the home to Lucille Rhodes Comer on Sept. 27, 1919, for only $3,200 to pay off outstanding debts.

Liston Comer, president of Leming Lumber Co. and active in the formation of Cape Rock Park, was well-known in the community. He later sold the home to Louisa and M.D. Thacker for $5,250.

House sold for $1

Information about the Thackers is incomplete because they lived in the area for only a year. In 1927, they sold the home for $1 to Edward A. Polack Sr., who assumed a note of $4026.67.

Polack owned Polack Bros. Plumbing along with his brother, Gustave W. Polack. The business, located at 436 Broadway, installed systems in the Southeast Missourian's building at Broadway and Lorimier Street, a four-story business building of Louis Hecht on Main Street, the Building and Loan Company building at Main and Themis streets, May Green School, the high school annex, the Broadway theater and numerous others.

Goss, a history buff, was inspired by her findings. She has been licensed as a business, History's Mysteries, to research historic homes. She can be reached at 651-1642.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133