The Big House. I grew up in a very large house overlooking the Mississippi River. 14 rooms with 12 foot high ceilings. (A room for every possible use). Old fireplaces that dated all the way back to the Civil War. Set on an acre of land with terraces on all four corners. Such an interesting place to grow up in as a kid. Lots of history in that place.
History indeed. So much so that it was declared one of Missouri’s Historical Places. This shot was taken in April a couple of years ago.
(Photo Credits to Mary Ann Kellerman. She and her husband bought the house over 40 years ago and have done a wonderful job of preserving it)
I just absolutely loved the springtime and the new buds coming out in all the trees. Place was surrounded in trees.
It actually has taken this many years to have some decent pics of the place. It’s funny to see it without the wrought iron fence that ringed the sides and front of it. In order to mow those terraces it required my brother, Ray, or my dad with a rope up top and running the tethered mower along the hillsides. Place was ginormous. And a kid’s playground.
If you were to have stood in front of the house on a warm summer’s eve back in the 60’s, you’d have experienced gentle upslope breezes (due to the hill sides in all four directions) and the heady aromas of honeysuckle, perhaps lilacs and lavender, and the gentle sun rays basking the front porch. This shot is from the Springtime, but I think you get the idea. Surrounded by nature on all sides.
By the way, this particular shot doesn’t look like much of a slope, but we had SUCH a fun time when it snowed. Sledding and sliding down the drive (especially when Dad couldn’t get the car up into the garage and had to leave it at Lorimier School parking lot.) Plus it was super safe as we weren’t flying out into traffic. (Just a reminder that you can enlarge the photos by double clicking on them)
The snow brought a majesty to the trees, the terraced grounds and the look out the windows became magical. No sounds, no neighbors. High above the rest of the world. Pure bliss.
This was our first winter in 1958 and we were gloriously snowed in.
Land of the tall windows. I think that was one of the most endearing aspects of the whole structure. The light that would come thru and flood the rooms was unlike anything else you’ll find in a home unless you are really striving for the floor to ceiling effect. Go ahead and look carefully at that photograph. Those are TALL glass openings. House was outsized and supersized in a super elegant way. Everything about it spoke of soaring heights and elevated moods. Surrounded by lofty branches of trees beckoning up into the sky. On top of a hill.
King of the hill. With a budget fit for a king.
Whoops. So, guess what? My dad wasn’t a king. Just a small town lawyer. As hardnosed and practical as a Lutheran Republican pramatist can be, he was an incurable romantic.
He was drawn to it instantly and I’m glad he figured out how to make it work. (Somehow I’m remembering that he bought it for 60K back in the 50’s)
So when this house stole his heart, the maintainance reality pretty much stole his bank account. Or at least created some drag on it. So eventually it was simply over the top and beyond human understanding as to how to even manage the place.
Let’s just put it this way. It was a good run, Tons o’ fun. and….. That time was good and done.
And yet as the years would hold, there were still some interesting tales that would be told.
I've Led a Charmed Life 
It was great house and remember going by it and I still do when I am in Cape. What at great place to grow up. It is funny Cape does seem to turn it back on the river. Even this great home faces west away from the river, but I guess that was a part of the times, everything was going west in the USA in those times. Thanks for finding these great shots of you old home.
Terry, I do agree that Cape turns it’s back on the river in a lot of ways. And certainly the house does, and for good reason. While perched up on that hill, it gets tremendous sunsets and I think that trumps any look at the river. (From the upper floors you always got a great view over into Illinois… and longed for something else to look at as flat floodplain didn’t seem to cut it)