I TOOK THIS PHOTO SUNDAY MORNING AT THE OLD ABE HURST (ABE STARTED HURSTVILLE AND THE LIME KILNS INDUSTRY THERE) HOME ON
THE CORNER OF SOUTH 4TH AND WEST MAPLE STREETS IN MAQUOKETA.
THIS LARGE HOME HAS BEEN OWNED BY KEN MOORE OF MAQUOKETA FOR
MANY YEARS. HE HAS DONE SOME WORK ON IT AND FIXED UP THE
THE CARRIAGE HOUSE. NO ONE HAS LIVED IN IT FOR OVER 50 YEARS. EVENTUALLY, KEN PLANS TO MAKE THIS HOME AGAIN INTO THE PIONEER HOME IT ONCE WAS.
THIS MORNING HERE AT KMAQ, ALJEAN CHRIST STOPPED IN TO SEE ME.
ALJEAN AND HUSBAND DONALD LIVE HERE IN MAQUOKETA. SHE HAD SEEN THE PICTURE YESTERDAY ON THIS DAILY REPORT AND SHE
HAD A STORY TO TELL ME ABOUT THE HOME. IN JUNE, 1952, WHEN SHE WAS 18, SHE WENT UP AND DOWN THAT STAIRCASE HUNDREDS OF TIMES. SHE AND A GIRLFRIEND LIVED IN ONE OF THE UPSTAIRS APARTMENTS IN THE HURST HOME, THE WEST SIDE APARTMENT WITH THE SUNPORCH ON THE SOUTH. THE OTHER APARTMENT UPSTAIRS WAS ON THE EAST SIDE AND BILL AND MINNIE HURST LIVED DOWNSTAIRS. BILL ,WAS A SON OF ABE. ALJEAN AND DONALD HAD JUST GOTTEN MARRIED AND HE WAS STILL IN THE SERVICE. HE HAD BEEN IN KOREA AND AFTER COMING BACK TO THE USA, THEY GOT MARRIED AND HE THEN WENT TO KENTUCKY TO FINISH OUT HIS ENLISTMENT. ALJEAN AND HER GIRLFRIEND LIVED IN THE HURST APARTMENT UNTIL DONALD GOT DISCHARGED. THE APARTMENT WAS
HEATED BY A KEROSENE STOVE AND SHE SAID THEY HAD TO CARRY THE
KEROSENE UP THE STAIRS IN A FIVE-GALLON PAIL. SHE HAD A GAS STOVE,
AND IN ONE OF THE CLOSITS WAS A PLACE TO INSERT QUARTERS FOR A
QUARTERS WORTH OF GAS. SHE SAID SHE CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE
RENT WAS, BUT THAT SHE WAS WORKING AT JC PENNEY IN MAQUOKETA GETTING A $75 PAYCHECK EVERY TWO WEEKS, SO THE RENT MUST NOT HAVE BEEN TOO HIGH. LATE JUNE 1952 TO EARLY FEBRUARY 1953..... SIX
MONTHS THAT NOW BRING MEMORIES OF MAQUOKETA....IN THE GOOD OLD
DAYS. IS THE PLACE NOW HAUNTED? I GUESS THERE IS A STORY ABOUT THAT! KEN SAYS, "COULD BE"!
DENNIS VOY
