From the Heart
It was 1975 when I bought my house. I bought it from the Hamptons but I always called it the Bentz house because they lived in it when I was a little girl. I loved going there because Mrs. Bentz always made homemade cookies when she babysat for our preacher’s kids and I got to visit with them. Who knew I would someday call it my home.
Funny how growing up in a small town, houses were often given the name of the people who lived there. I still refer to them that way.
On Thursday night several of us “old-timers” (those who grew up in Noblesville during the 50s to 70s), were talking about certain houses. Kathy Richardson Williams lives in the O’Callaghan house beside the Lyons house. Mrs. Lyon gave piano lessons.
Brian and Toni Ayer live in the old Repp home that was next to Mrs. Hovey’s home. She also gave piano lessons.
You can walk down many of the Noblesville Streets and it becomes memory lane if you grew up in Noblesville. Zinns. Campbells. Kenleys. Shonks. Taylors. Henrys. I grew up with many of the kids and now I’m even growing old with them.
Back in the day, most doctors worked from homes located in neighborhoods. Kraft. Dillon. Harris. Haywood.
My mother has lived in her house since 1952. The house next door was the Kitterman house and now it is the Novak house. Next to it was the home of the Griffins, Herb and Martha. I grew up across the alley from them and their daughters, Marcia and Debbie. It has had several owners since but to me it will always the old Griffin house.
The Wire family home with 12 kids is around the corner from my mom. A Wire has not lived there since probably the 80s. It’s still the Wire house to me. Across from it was the home of the Phillips. There was even a neighborhood store attached to it. Chad and Rosie were good people.
As Kathy and I reminisced on Thursday night, Bret Richardson chimed in on the conversation as he also now has acquired an old Noblesville home. His family goes way back, having lived in the home which now looks so forlorn on 10th and Clinton. He is sad. I feel his sadness. On that property the first courthouse of Hamilton County was built.
Bret led us on a mental tour of Old Noblesville, down Conner and Logan. It was a fun tour. It was like, “show me the house and I’ll name the family who lived there.” Everyone seemed to know everyone back then. Thanks Bret!
Back in the day people seldom moved. Often a second generation would acquire the deed to the family home. You seldom see that today. I think it is a shame.
I have lived in my house 42 years come this December. Now that is unheard of. I just never had a desire to leave my little house on the alley. I wonder if someday my house will be simply referred to as Janet’s house. You know that nice little old lady who lived there forever. “Oh remember how she fell in love and married that nice Chuck Leonard.”
A few weeks ago I took my mom for a ride on a Sunday afternoon. She would often point out a certain house and who lived there. If she could not remember their name she simply said, “somebody lived there.”
Well there sure were a lot of good somebodys who lived in Noblesville. I can name them . . . and the house they called home.
That was a fun time on memory lane Thursday night. I’ll have to visit there again sometime.