Mt. Pleasant Beautiful

With the cooperation of the Southeast Iowa Union, the Mt. Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission will be publishing weekly peeks at some of the featured homes in the 1909 book, 'Mt. Pleasant Beautiful.” In the series, the 1909 picture will be contrasted with one of recent vintage. The commission has been collecting information for the eventual issuance of a new book updating the information on the still standing homes from the 1909 publication.

You can test your knowledge of Mt. Pleasant with this column. The identity of the featured home will be published the week following the initial publication.

Last week's featured home: The Crane House, 611 E. Washington.

Built in 1857, this week's featured home has had only three owners in its 163 years. Originally built with 20 rooms (all with fireplaces), it now has 22 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms and numerous other accessory rooms.

Thirteen years after it was built by Col. Asbury Porter, he sold it to his son-in-law, Warren Beckwith. It remained in the Beckwith family for almost 60 years.

Beckwith was a principal of the Western Wheeled Scraper Company, an early Mt. Pleasant Manufacturing firm which is said to have employed 300 workers. The company relocated to Illinois in the 1890s and eventually 'Western” merged with Austin Manufacturing to become Austin-Western, one of the better known names in construction machinery in the first half of the 20th century.

Beckwith's interest in fine horses is evident from the remnants of a race track behind the home.

Operated by P.E.O. as a retirement home for almost 60 years it was sold by the organization in the late 1990s and has been operated as a private retirement home since that time.