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This is the house that “jack built.” This famous line from a nursery rhyme describes how the Baker home on the corner of Macon and Lyon Streets was constructed in 1893. In this case, unlike the nursery rhyme, “jack” is not the person who built the home, but it helped provide the funding to construct the home.
Horace E. Baker owned a mine near Oronogo. The by-product of lead and zinc mining was commonly referred to as “jack.” The money that the Bakers made from their mine constructed this Queen-Anne-style Victorian home for $8,000-$10,000 in 1893.
This home has a unique feature that very few homes bear. H.E. Baker wanted to pay homage to his mine that gave him the lifestyle that he desired. On the east side of the house facing Lyon Street, Baker placed a shovel, pick-axe, an ore cart and ore sample and various other tools from his mine. These items are still in-tact today.
The exterior of the home boasts turrets, towers, wrap-around porches and large windows. The interior has multiple fireplaces on each floor, tall rooms, a grand staircase and many small details.
Baker’s wife died in the early 1900’s. When he later remarried, he moved from Carthage leaving his son to take care of the home. In the 1920’s, the home was converted into apartments and the residence remained apartments for many decades following.
In 1982, the home was purchased and restored as much as possible. Information about the restoration revealed that many unique qualities of the home were uncovered during the process. One of which was a back staircase, often referred to as a butler staircase, which had been walled up. Everything, including the ornate woodwork, had even been painted brown. The family that purchased the home, did so with the sole purpose of restoring it back as close as possible and reselling it. The home had sat vacant for nearly 15 years when the family bought the residence.
In 1987, Carthage Historic Preservation “adopted” the home to refurbish once again. The remodel was not nearly as extensive as turning the once apartments into a home once again, but it still needed a lot of work.
The home has underwent several restorations throughout the years. This residence is still a very beautiful victorian home with many intricate details. The home is for sale at the current time.
Sources: Powers Museum, The Carthage Press, Images of America, Carthage, Missouri by Michele Hansford
Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press
Zooming In! is a column dedicated to the history of Carthage. Every Wednesday since July of 2009, Wade Utter has photographed and exposed the history behind new and century-old structures in the Carthage area.
