739 South Main Housetory

Once upon a time there was a house. . .

The home at 739 South Main was built in 1910 by David Rice Bricky Williams (1869-1952). Bricky was born October 2, 1869, in Kansas. He was a masonry contractor and had been secretary of the bricklayers union in Sheridan for many years. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church. Bricky was married to Jane Ellen Williams. She was born February 20, 1882, at Bethesda, North Wales. She was two when her parents moved to Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania. They returned to Wales in 1894. In 1905, Jane was visiting some relatives in Denver when she met Bricky. She married him on September 6, 1906. She was 24, Bricky was 36. Jane joined the First Presbyterian Church, where she prepared communion for over 60 years and for 32 years sang with the Choir. She was a member of PEO for more than 50 years and was a member of the Sheridan Womens club for 45 years. It appears that Jane was involved with more than just the Church's communion. In 1998, the present owner was in the crawlspace under the farthest northwest corner of the house, where he found a metal envelope, containing letters wrapped in tar paper. The letters were from Reverend J. Orrin Gould ("Mr. Curley Tease"), the pastor at the First Baptist Church (1916-1919), and they were written to Jane (Miss Close Clasper")... ". Jane must have hidden them, long ago. It appears that sometime around 1918 the two were in some kind of relationship, based on the steamy content of the letters. Jane slyly picked them up at the old Western Hotel.

Bricky and Jane had a daughter, Isabel, who was born in 1907. She married Carleton Collin of Pittsburgh, and died December 18, 1933 from an illness. You can still see glimpses of the yellow paint in the room that was most likely her bedroom. Bricky passed away in 1952. Jane sold the house in 1962, and she passed away in 1982. The house was purchased by the Bokenkrogers, then the Paulsens, and then the Burrows, and then the Abernathas, and at some time was converted into 3 apartments. Eventually, Bill Fry, founder of Fry Construction, purchased it. He sold it to Rod Fordahl, who was then a fairly new employee with a little boy, but who also subsequently bought Fry Construction. Rod and Kristen Cogswell raised their two children, Ben and Ian, in the home, and have completely enjoyed living here! Features One of the most significant features of the house is the masonry. Bricky used three different varieties of brick in the home, using a sheen-faced brick for the exterior, a mottled fleckstone for the main floor fireplace, and a rich brown brick for the lower level fireplace. The house has "quoins", or additional masonry blocks jutting from the front corners, along with masonry "necklaces" accenting the windows. It has a thick, brick wall running through the center of the house on both the garden level and first floor. The trim throughout the upper two floors of the house is Douglas fir. The garden level and main floor each has maple floors, and the upstairs floors are fir. The house is 4500 square feet, with a daylight basement that mirrors the main floor. Living Room The living room has a rebuilt colonnade. The supporting beam across the top was made from the original, found in the crawlspace. If you look closely at the wall and trim in the dining room, especially on the south side, you can see where the original shelf plate was mounted. The fireplace is fitted with a gas insert. Kitchen The kitchen was remodeled in 2008. The stove is induction, which results in super fast heating, safe to briefly touch when on. There is a warming drawer and convection oven and convection microwave, and a Bosch dishwasher. There are granite countertops, wood cabinets, and a large pantry room.

Upstairs Bedrooms The home at one time was converted into an apartment building. The front bedroom served as a living room, and the laundry area was the kitchen. The present owners converted the apartment back to 3 bedrooms, restored the bathroom, and added a shower/laundry/closet area. Upstairs Bath There is a bathtub room with the original porcelain clawfoot tub and sink, and a Toto toilet. There is also a laundry/ shower room that has a built-in ironing board, vanity and walk-in shower, with sunrise windows overlooking the town, and a large closet. The room has cable TV so the whole family can entertain themselves while getting ready for work or school. It also has a towel warmer. The floors in the bedrooms and bathroom areas are fir. The hallway and stairs are carpeted, with a large remnant from the former Oliver's Bar & Grill, purchased after it was originally remodeled from Interior Images. The Downstairs The downstairs area has a 2 daylight sides with full windows. The living room area has a wood-burning brown brick fireplace and a pool table, with an exit door leading to a "mud room", the furnace & hot water heater room, and the outside porch. The downstairs also has a bathroom with a shower, a book room, a wine room with a stained concrete floor, a bedroom, and an area for crafts or whatever that has been wired for a kitchen, if one is ever wanted down there. Other features Zoned R-2 Leaded windows in front of home Sunny porch and deck off kitchen Home office area on main floor Great garden areas Lower patio is wired for a hot tub Sprinkler system Generator hook-up Featured in This Old House magazine, May 2011 http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20466527_20916705,00.html

 The Little Brick Cottage Bricky built the little brick cottage at 741 South Main before building his big house. He bought the land from Lura and E.W. Parr for $500.00 in 1908. The Parrs had bought the land from Lincoln Land Company, who had subdivided it in 1892. Prior to that it was owned by Lyman and Kate Brooks, and before that Frank H. Kilbourne, who received it in a deed containing 160 acres for $200.00, from President Benjamin Harrison in 1884. The chain of title includes E.A. and Gladys Eccles, B.T. and Marie McManus, and Beverly and Bruce Badley, eventually being owned by Cherie and Mick Anderson, who raised their children there (and whose upstairs play area is still referred to as "the critter closet"). Rod and Kris bought the house from them so they would have a bigger yard, and they renovated it and made it a law office. It is now rented, only to charming and neighborly people. The cottage is made from yet a fourth kind of brick, most likely from the Sheridan Brick Company. The upstairs floors are fir, and the downstairs floors are oak. It has a great yard.

If you are interested in buying the big house or both the big house and the cottage, give us a call and we'll give you a tour! It is informally for sale until we get it tidied up, and then we'll probably list it with Century 21. Thanks for looking! 307.752.9011 (kcogs@yahoo.com)