This week’s home is another ‘Barber house’

With the cooperation of the Southeast Iowa Union/Mt. Pleasant News, The Mt. Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission will be publishing, every week or two, 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: The Short House, 906 S. Walnut St.

We have mentioned “Barber” houses several times in this series and there are a half dozen or so in Mt. Pleasant.

George F. Barber, a native of DeKalb, Illinois, was for some time a “mail order” architect, producing a catalog of plans which could be purchased and built from by local builders. Many of his plans were for Queen Anne style houses and there are thousands of homes around the world credited to Barber.

This week’s choice is a little special in that it incorporates features of two different Barber designs. Architectural historian Melba Widmer classes it as the best preserved example of the Queen Anne style preserved in Mt. Pleasant.

The home was built in 1900 by George and May Allen, and they were the occupants at the time of the 1909 Mt. Pleasant Beautiful publication.

George W. S. Allen was born in Vermont but his family came to Iowa when he was still quite young. He graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School and learned the clothing business while working after high school for two Mt. Pleasant clothiers. In 1882 he opened his own store, on the north side of the square, which was operated for many years.

The Allen family was active in Mt. Pleasant’s social doings as attested to by their mention in numerous items in the local newspaper.

George died in 1920, and the home was sold to Horace and Louise Putman, who moved from a farm southwest of town. Horace was Henry County sheriff for three terms.

After only six years the home was sold to Garfield and Ethel Hallowell and remained in their family for 77 years. Hallowell had worked at Henry County Savings Bank for 25 years when he opened a paint store on North Main Street. He was active in several local groups and served as Justice of Peace and on the school board for some years.

The last owner in the family was their daughter, Helen Hallowell, who taught physical education at Mt. Pleasant High school for 40 years. She was a noted bird and nature enthusiast and also a skilled woodworker. She passed away in 2003.