SPRINGING BACK FROM HISTORY: COUPLE RESTORES 146-YEAR-OLD HOUSE

No nails were used to construct the framework of the house.

"The 'ole' farm ain't what it used to be."

For the first time in nearly 150 years, the Spring Farm will no longer be part of the Ranney family heritage. Susan and Fred Vincel bought the farm in August from family members who were hesitant about selling.

"Susan and I were able to convince them we wouldn't just bulldoze the house," says Fred. "We made a commitment to them to preserve it as much like it was as possible."

The historical background alone is worth preserving. William Caton Ranney built and settled in the house in 1850, along with his wife Elizabeth. He was the first judge of the Cape Girardeau Court of Common Pleas and a legislature in the State Capitol. His father, Colonel Stephen Ranney, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War who served under George Washington.

William lived on the farm for 50 years. His son Robert Giboney Ranney was born on the farm and lived there a number of years, as did his son, Robert Clifton Ranney.

Another piece of historical significance -- remnants of Mount Tabor School, believed to be the first English school west of the Mississippi, were found on the farm.

The home itself has been through several stages of remodeling over the years. It was originally built with four large rooms, two bedrooms, a parlor and a dining room, and six fireplaces which provided both heat and cooking facilities. Uncommon in those days were closets in nearly every room. The post and beam construction, reminiscent of houses in the East, holds the structure of the house together with wooden pegs rather than nails.

"It puts you very much in mind of an old Pennsylvania farm," says Fred, a firefighter for the city of Cape Girardeau.

It wasn't until 1941 that electricity was put in, followed by a gas furnace and running water. In 1944, extensive remodeling was done to remove the wooden front porch, replacing it with a sun porch on the side of the house.

Many of the materials used in the house were taken from the farm itself. The timber for most of the house was yellow poplar; limestone rock was used for the foundation; the plaster, it was later discovered, was made with animal hair, all from farm resources.

The Vincels, who had planned on buying a new house before this purchase, intend to restore the house as close as possible to the way it was originally.

"We want it to have the appearance of the original house as it was in the 1850s," notes Fred. "When you drive up, it should look like it was all done as if it was done in 1850."

The farm, which now sits on 38 acres 2 1/2 miles southwest of Cape Girardeau, has a three-acre pond and 12 springs, giving it the name Spring Farm.

A tremendous amount of work has been done on the house already. It basically had to be taken down to the supporting structure, gutting it inside and out, to repair the damage from termites and powder post beetles. Log chains were needed to run between the front and back of the house where the walls started to come apart. In addition, the house had to be jacked up to level the floors, many of which were 12 inches thick with three layers, floored one on top of another.

One of the things they were able to preserve was the gracefully curved staircase, with handrail and banisters made of solid walnut, that graces the entrance in the foyer. They plan to rebuild a wooden front porch, like the original house.

Outside, many of the original structures still exist such as the granary, the smokehouse and the old barn, where the Model T Fords were kept. Many of the trees on the grounds, which at one time included dogwoods, pecan trees, pear trees and Ginkgo trees, had to be removed as they were too close to the house.

"It's so nice when you go out there, you get away from everything and all you hear are the birds," Susan points out.

The Vincels plan to move in the house with their daughter, Crystal, by next spring or early summer. Even though many a neighbor has stopped by pointing out that it would have been cheaper to tear down the old house and build a new one, the Vincels are as committed as the Ranney family in preserving the landmark with all its glorious history.

"It worked out to be a good marriage for both," Fred says. "They got their farm site preserved and we got a place that we think is probably the most beautiful place in Cape Girardeau County."