Even though we were in a heat advisory for the weekend our campsite was almost completely in the shade and this park boosts a large lake for water activities.  The boys hung in their hammocks while I started the last section of that Nakia scarf/shawl that I started back at the end of March.

When I was dropping off my husband in town the first morning for the bike ride, Siri took us into Macon on a back route into downtown.  That route happened to take us right past these two amazing HUGE old houses!  And the gate had my last name initial "W".  I think it was fate for us to be there!







I was smitten and also really intrigued with what seemed to be a really large old downtown area for a community of this size.  It seemed to be just on the edge of revitalizing or running down a bit further, it was a little hard to tell and my hopes are on the revitalizing side of things.








Once we were back home I fell down a little bit of a rabbit hole researching the houses.  Both homes are associated with the Wardell family.  If my reading is correct, the senior Wardell was pivotal in the coal mining industry of this area and Macon was one of the lead coal producing counties of Missouri.  He was killed during a mining strike afterwards which his younger son took over the family business and continuing to be an integral part of Macon economy.  He married and purchased the lot for the large 3 story queen anne home with elaborate metal and stone gate and fence that is now deteriorating in this town today, though it was saved a couple years ago from re-zoning and demolition.  One can only imagine how amazing this home could be with the right amount of expendable income (hello lottery)!  Check out this old photo of the home.

Oddly enough the elder senior Wardell home was later the home of the grandmother of Butch Patrick, the actor who played Eddie Munster in The Munsters TV series from the 1960's.  Butch Patrick bought the early home a few years ago with hope of rehabbing the home and for people to visit and stay.  Sadly I believe that now is not happening and the home is currently for sale again according to a couple sites.  


I cannot express how much this stuff grabs ahold of me and won't let go!  Maybe it was a result of having grown up in the dust and beauty of my parents remodeling an abandoned farm house that would be my beloved childhood home or maybe something more.  Who knows, but goodness I came right home and researched the homes, dug out one of my favorite books to thumb through, and starting visualizing someone saving both of these amazing homes.  Kind of like the old sanitarium turned apartment building now on the other edge of town- yikes!


Not a bad adventure for the weekend and local travels!  I had no idea there were these structures and stories in a community a little bit down the road from us!