Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
CLUNETTE - Tom and Carolyn Robinson spent a year restoring the former Arthur and Lillian Anglin property before they called this house a home. The result is a beautiful restoration of the big two-story residence west of the village, across from the Clunette Elevator.
Tom plans to have the porch railing installed and the sidewalks in by Sept. 25, when the house at 4355 W. CR 600N is open to 2004 Historic Properties Tour ticketholders.
The restoration work consisted of the usual necessities, like replacing all the electrical wires and plumbing lines and installing heating and air conditioning. The couple stripped off as many as nine layers of wallpaper per room. Tom repaired plaster where the inevitable cracks appeared on the 95-year-old walls.
"We bought it at auction two years ago," Carolyn said. "We heard Lillian hoped whoever bought it would take care of her snakes."
"We found them and took care of them," Tom said, not elaborating on how that care was administered.
As for the house, the original structure hasn't been changed. Several carpets (and linoleum and subfloors) were removed to reveal pine flooring in the kitchen and dining room.
The red faux-marble kitchen countertops are still evident in the large kitchen. The woodwork has been painted white throughout the downstairs.
The Robinsons found huge closets throughout the house. In Tom's office and in the grandkids' room, the built-in storage takes up an entire wall and includes doored closets and drawers. Although the kitchen cabinets and closets have been repaired and repainted, the original hardware was cleaned and replaced.
The original knotty pine paneling is a back porch feature. Carolyn has stenciled bricks on an otherwise boring cement slab off the back door.
Clunette residents and other local folks have consistently stopped by and checked on the Robinsons' progress. They also had visits from Jay Anglin, Arthur and Lillian's son, who marveled at the "cowboy" wallpaper in the office.
"He said he remembered wallpaper just like that in his bedroom. It is the wallpaper from his bedroom," Carolyn said. "It stayed in one piece when we were stripping, except damage at the top. Jay said it was put in in 1953."
Jay's cowboy wallpaper has been framed. In a strip of space between the frame and ceiling, "The Crossroads of the Prairie" - the Clunette slogan - has been spelled out in big wooden letters.
Jay Anglin died a couple of months ago. Before his death, he talked about the house and sent the Robinsons early photographs of the building and grounds. Tom used the illustrations to rebuild the broad-roofed porch and outline where the original sidewalks were.
Jay recalled that the original house caught fire during the winter of 1909. His parents brought out the children and set them in the snow for safekeeping.
To build the current house, a local woods was logged and furnishings cost $1,800.
In the dining room, the table is a door off Carolyn's dad's barn. It is topped with glass. The bay window seat was found in the basement.
The upstairs features four rooms that were bedrooms. Now there are three bedrooms and a sewing room for Carolyn. Once again, there is plenty of closet space, built between rooms with doors on either side.
One room features a brass bed bought at the Anglin auction.
Off the lilac and gold master bedroom, three formerly unused rooms have been converted into a sitting room, walk-in closet and enormous bathroom.
"Max Anglin (a cousin) said the kids used to love playing in these rooms because it was dark and spooky," Carolyn said.
The Kosciusko County Anglins are descendants of Adrian Anglin. He is the only person buried in this county who served in the Revolutionary War.
Other sites on the Sept. 25 tour include: Tippecanoe Country Club, 7245 N. Kalorama Road, Leesburg; Mike and Wendy Meck, 2889 E. CR 750N, Leesburg; Joe and Myra Sands, 8162 N. CR 200E, Milford; Mike and Jodie Hall, 3968 W. CR 600N, Clunette; Roger and Sharon Dinkel, 823 E. Center St., Warsaw; and Rebecca Coplen, 751 E. Fort Wayne St., Warsaw.
Tour tickets are available at the main branches of Mutual Federal, National City, Lake City and 1st Source banks, Teacher's Credit Union and the Old Jail Museum, 121 N. Indiana St., Warsaw, costs are $10 prior to Sept. 24 and $12 the day of the tour.
