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January 31, 2008

Stencils that once decorated Joplin’s finest homes on display

By Wally Kennedy

wkennedy@joplinglobe.com

Over the years, the owners of Joplin’s historic homes have discovered hidden treasures, such as old photographs, paintings, letters and postcards.

They are things that have fallen through cracks in the floor, been misplaced in an attic space or have been covered over in a remodeling project. They are often revealed when someone assumes the daunting task of a major restoration.

A new treasure has been discovered in the ongoing makeover of a house in Joplin’s historic Murphysburg District.

Dozens of stencils that were used to decorate the walls of some of the finest historic homes and probably some businesses in Joplin in the 1920s have been found in the basement of a house at 301 Sergeant Ave.

The images, hand-cut into heavy poster board, include those of animals, such as roosters, floral designs, geometric patterns and early art deco.

Some of the best examples of the cache of stencils, found by Bill and Marilyn Davis, the owners of the house, are now on display in a new exhibit in the Post Memorial Art Reference Library, an independent library located in the southwest corner of the Joplin Public Library at Fourth and Main streets.

“I think it is safe to say that many of these stencils added a dash of color and distinction to many of Joplin’s prominent homes in the 1920s,” said Leslie Simpson, head of the Post Library.

“These stencils are tangible documents showing how Joplin’s citizens once decorated their homes. They allow us to travel back to the early 20th century and witness firsthand the designs and colors that were popular in interior decoration. They also are valuable to preservationists and decorators who wish to return historic houses to their original character.”

The stencils were protected in a wooden portfolio. Many of them show the colors that were used when they were applied to a wall. Some of the stencils were designed to overlay other stencils so that multiple colors could be used to build a pattern.

The stencils were found in a house that was built sometime between 1896 and 1899. Records show the house was first occupied by James Geddis. But the stencils most likely were crafted by subsequent occupants of the house, said Simpson.

“Records show that the McClenahans — Fred, Olive, and Fred’s brother, Curtis — lived in the house in about 1917. They operated an antiques and decorating business out of the home in the 1920s and ’30s,” Simpson said.

The McClenahans moved to Joplin in 1917 to manage the once-grand Club Theater at the southwest corner Fourth Street and Joplin Avenue. It burned in 1918. It is believed the McClenahans opened Mack’s Antiques in the home after the fire.

Stenciling at the time was probably reserved for Joplin’s finest homes because it cost so much more than wallpaper. In 1908, a double roll of wallpaper could be purchased from a Montgomery Ward catalog for 3 cents, while a gallon of paint was 85 cents.

Said Simpson: “Wallpaper was a very cheap alternative for those days. Hiring a decorator who hand-cut his own stencils, mixed the paints and applied the stencils would have probably been very expensive. It was rich folks who did this.”

When the Davis family purchased the house, it had been converted into several apartments. What’s amazing is that the stencils survived at all.

“I think how fortunate it was that the stencils remained ignored in the basement all these years. With the house having been turned into apartments and neglected for decades, it really is amazing that the stencils didn’t get tossed out with the garbage,” said Simpson.

The exhibit will feature historic resources on how stenciling was done and the colors that most likely were used. The exhibit will include a rare 1920s-era pamphlet put out by Sherwin Williams on stencil placement and instructions.



Want to go?

The exhibit in the Post Memorial Art Reference Library may be viewed on from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, and from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The library also is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Information and photos about the exhibit may be viewed on the library’s Web site at www.postlibrary.org.

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