Smith home simply elegant

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK Register Reporter
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An elegantly set table in a room bedecked by angels awaits visitors to Jim and Leonard Smith’s home on Sunday’s Allen County Animal Rescue Facility Holiday Homes Tour.
The home, at 201 S. Cottonwood, was purchased by Leonard Smith about 20 years ago. At the time, it was divided into upper and lower apartments.
Jim Smith said he told his brother, “Let’s get rid of that thing,” of the upstairs apartment.
The narrow, tastefully appointed upstairs bedroom was the smaller apartment’s kitchen, Jim Smith said. A sleeping porch is now Jim’s office. The main floor remained largely intact.
“We really don’t know who built it,” Smith said of the home, reckoned to be from the late 1800’s. “But we do know two famous people lived here,” he continued.
C.E. Perham — “He had Perham Clothing,” — and C.B. Spencer, former postmaster, pharmacist and secretary of the Iola Electric Railroad, both occupied the dwelling in the past.
Smith’s collection of model trains fits into that history, though those are a year-round hobby, not a holiday decoration, he said. A cluster of carolers and snowmen on the steps are more seasonal decor.
Smith said he and his brother, who have two dogs and care for five outdoor cats, are opening their home “to help the dogs and the cats. We do it because we love the animals.”
Proceeds from the tour will help complete the ACARF shelter in LaHarpe.
“Last year about 200 people toured the homes,” Smith said. “I hope we get that many this year.”

Dec. 12, 2009