Linda and I take a drive up to Alfie Williams old house from time to time. The road is getting a bit rough, but the house is still in remarkably good shape. And, Linda tells me it is on the National Historic Register.

We parked in front of the house and were glad to see that it has not suffered too much from neglect. Neighbors keep an eye on traffic up the driveway and hopefully discourage vandals.

This is the sign that the Ozark Highlands Trail Association put up near Alfie’s house. It is adorned with a few pieces of old automobiles at its base.

We walked up for a closer look. Both Linda and I knew Alfie when she lived here many years ago, and a visit brings a keen sense of nostalgia.

Alfie’s brother Mack built this home during the 1930’s. When Alfie realized she had terminal cancer, late in life, she left the property to the Ozark Highlands Trail Association. They have had it put on the historic record, and protected the property with a conservation easement. You can read about it on their website here Highlands Trail Org – Williams Woods . The property is now for sale.

Highlands Trail members cleared the 3 mile loop trail in 2017 after being closed since 2009 as a result of an ice storm that caused many trees to topple. Compulsive Hiker Michael R. tells about clearing the trails in his blog .

The house is nestled in the trees and it is cool and inviting as you approach. When we went to the front door, it was locked and the side door to the kitchen was off the hinges. We took a look in side, being careful not to disturb anything. No one has lived here for a number of years. At one time, after Alfie passed away, there was a care taker.

A look inside…

Alfie loved her home and the woods around it. Now there are still a few traces of her life here. Hopefully someone who appreciates this gem will buy it and restore it while it is still sound.

Here is a closer look at the propane heater in Alfie’s kitchen. I can imagine it was quite a luxury when it was first installed to supplement the wood heat.

With no electricity here in the early days, this indoor well would have been cherished. It is only steps from where the cook stove and sink would have been.

The well curb and top are cast concrete. Aflie had running water added later on, but I know other folks who always preferred their dug well for drinking and making coffee or tea. The water in this part of the Boston Mountains can vary considerably in taste from one spring or well to another.

Alfie collected a number of books that are still on the shelves in the living room. We did not take time to inspect the titles and now that we are gone, I am curious about her reading preferences. A reading list can make a good reflection of someones personality.

A sunny back room still has Alfie’s treadle sewing machine. Its easy to imagine her here making clothes and doing mending over the years. She lived by herself here after she retired.

The treadle sewing machine in this photo sits near a window. The Ozark Electric Co-op did not bring service to the Saint Paul area until the 1950’s, so good natural lighting would have been a necessity for needle work.

A walk around the house…

We took  a walk around the house before leaving and noted that all the logs are in unusually good condition. Often, the corners of old log buildings suffer from continued exposure to the weather.

The windows and trim still look pretty fair, but could use a coat of paint. Mack did a beautiful job hewing the logs and cutting dovetails for the corner joints. The chinking between the logs looks to be tight still, indicating that the logs were well seasoned before the chinking was placed.

Parting shots…

 

On the way back down the hill we found several amanita mushrooms in the process of popping up. There is probably a technical way to describe that, but that is what it looks like.

After this stop to check out the mushrooms we called it a day and headed for home.