Molly Brown’s home a lasting example of how the poor lived

This is a photo of a framed drawing of the Molly Brown birthplace, by the late John Bolton Stoeckley of Louisiana, Mo. He drew this image shortly after Vicki and Terrell Dempsey restored the house, in the late 1990s. Contributed photo

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

Molly (Margaret Tobin) Brown’s birthplace, moved this winter from its original site on Denkler’s Alley to the northeast corner of Third and Hill streets, will soon be accessible to the town’s visitors and residents alike, thanks to the efforts of the city, and the Hannibal Convention and Visitors Bureau.

But the real credit for this project dates back many years, to the civic-minded individuals and groups that stepped forward when the old structure became vulnerable to its environment.

Vicki Dempsey, who along with her husband, Terrell, (attorneys practicing in Hannibal and Quincy, Ill.,) purchased the decaying building from the Marion County Historical Society in 1997. She said that this year’s move marks at least the third time that the building has been “saved.”

The first was in the 1960s, when the MCHS, including the iconic Kate Ray Kuhn, added a concrete basement to the house. While this action was a stop-gap for decay, “they seldom kept it open” for public viewing, Dempsey said. “By the 1990s it was once again in disrepair.”

In 1997, the Dempseys applied to the historical society about purchasing the property. “We got a bank loan for $50,000. We fixed the roof and added air conditioning. It was a community effort, we got people to help. The paint was contributed by Hayden Hardware, and we had people come in and paint. Bob Christy, a Quincy fellow, collected cast iron stoves. People donated funds, and we were able to get a Hannibal-made stove that is still part of the contents. We arranged to have it put into the house.

“He also had a recipe for white wash. He created buckets of white wash for us” to paint the interior.

They also added a plaque telling of the history of the house.

“Our daughters helped. They gave tours when they were in high school. They used to call the house the third daughter, because we spoke of it so much, and put so much time and effort into that house.

“My parents helped white wash; Mom made curtains that are still in the windows. The curtains outlasted her,” Dempsey said. “She lived to be almost 99. My parents were in their 80s when they were helping us, they were hard workers.”

After making initial repairs and enhancements, “We kept (the house) open as a museum, from 1998-2008. When we moved to Quincy, Ill., we gave the building to the city, and let them use the contents, including antiques, a bed, table, rocking chair and such, from the early Irish Hannibal era, which were from our personal collection.”

When they gave the house to the city, “We weren’t sure if they would maintain it, but they have. They approached us about giving our blessing to have it moved downtown. It had been talked about in years past, and we opposed it; it’s not good for historic preservation to move a building off its original location.”

But this time, when the city asked, they gave their approval.

In addition, “we gave them the contents, we signed the agreement in November. That’s fine, We’re happy to have helped.”

“Most historic homes that have been saved for tours” belonged to the upper class, Dempsey said.

But Molly’s family was poor, and that’s what makes this house unique.

“They were Irish immigrants. We called it a shanty, better than a shack. It was how poor people lived. It’s important for historians and tourists alike to see.”

The original house, during the era when the Tobins would have lived there, consisted of a bedroom and the parlor. That’s the part of the house that was moved.

There was also a kitchen in the basement, and a place for a cow and some chickens.

An interesting feature of the house are the original joists, “under the parlor and bedroom floor. They were unique to Hannibal, because they had holes in them. They were rough sawn logs, that were tied together with chains, as a raft, on which other lumber was stacked. Hannibal had a thriving lumber business, and that’s how lumber was brought down the Mississippi.

“There was a story board we created, of a log raft on the Mississippi. You could see the holes in the joists. That identified them, that’s where poor people would buy second-hand lumber, from these rafts, something a wealthy person wouldn’t use their their house because there were holes in it.”

Unfortunately, those joists are now covered, because the new site has a crawl space, rather than a basement. “But they’re still there,” Dempsey said.

Museum efforts

The house was given to the city in 2008. Beau Hicks, who was in charge of the visitor’s bureau at that time, “was all for the donation. He encouraged the city to take it as a gift. But the second season, there was a lot of rain, and the sump pump brown down. Mold from that episode was a half-inch thick. It was a major cleanup. The fabric crazy quilt on the bed, the coverlet on the day bed, we paid to get those things cleaned. The city had to have the house cleaned and repainted,” Dempsey said.

Later,  a Hannibal couple, Ken and Lisa Marks, stepped forward with plans to operate the house as a museum. “I was skeptical that they would do it long term. You don’t survive on ticket sales. When we gave the house to the city, we gave them our books. We lost money every year. When I wasn’t giving the tours, we paid high school students or teachers. Then there were advertising and maintenance costs. It was a labor of love. I’m sure that the Marks thought they could turn it into a money maker. You don’t make money on a museum.”

The Marks operated the house as a museum for two years.

Despite all the setbacks, “I’m glad the city is still hanging in there; it cost them money to move it,” Dempsey said. They did save money however, because “the cement plant donated concrete, and there was a lot of free labor.”

The key to the future success of the museum will be community involvement. “Get people interested who are willing to help. Museums need public assistance, state or federal assistance to keep operating.

“It’s an important thing for kids and adults to see, and to learn a little bit about where we all came from.

“I’m glad the city invested to keep it alive. Having it downtown, people from the Viking Cruise ships can walk to it now. Hopefully it will be there for a foreseeable future.

“Folks up here in Quincy are jealous that Hannibal has such nice riverfront. They talk about doing the same thing, but the riverboats aren’t going to stop twice in 30 miles. There is a vast  wealth of lovely homes in Quincy, but we don’t have Mark Twain and we don’t have Molly Brown. We have Lincoln, but he didn’t live here, he just visited.”