This home was ‘quite a pretentious property’

With the cooperation of the Southeast Iowa Union/Mt. Pleasant News, 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 historic 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: Martha Porter House, 609 West Monroe St.

This week’s home was built just six years before the publication of Mount Pleasant Beautiful and the Mount Pleasant Daily News, in announcing its construction, said it “will be quite a pretentious property.”

Except for a few trim details, it looks today much like it did when built.

The builders were John and Zula Short, who were both just about 30 years old when they moved to the house from a farm in Pleasant Hill. They continued to farm the Pleasant Hill property and also owned farmland in Stratford, Texas.

They purchased a meat market in town, but that venture lasted less than two years.

Five years later Zula, who had been in ill health, was rushed to Chicago for unsuccessful treatment and passed away at the age of 41.

John closed up the house and moved in with his widowed mother on her farm in the country.

However only two year later, mother and son reopened his house and moved to town.

In 1923 John remarried. His bride was Fannie Nagle, 13 years his junior.

According to one report, the couple continued to live in the house until John’s death in 1959. However, John’s obituary in the Mount Pleasant News said he had moved to town following his retirement in 1952.

In 1961, the home was purchased by Joe and Margaret Ruby. At the time he operated Ruby Cleaners on the west side of the square.

After selling the business in 1966, Ruby was appointed as Justice of the Peace in Mt. Pleasant.

At age 68, Ruby died by his own hand and the property was sold to Roy and Vivian Hodge. Both were active in radio, and Vivian worked for many years at KILJ as well as being secretary at Faith Lutheran Church.

The current owners purchased the house from Vivian Hodge in 2012.