M.L. Baker formed the Duncan-Baker Hardware Co in 1903 with John H. Duncan at 406 Public Square which he operated to his death in 1918.
After daughter Maude married and became Mrs. Raymond Shaw in 1909 they lived at 200 N. Buchanan next door to her parents and her husband started working at her father Martin’s hardware store. The depression in the 1930’s forced them to leave town for work.
Their son Miles graduated Marion High School in 1917 and attended dental school at Washington University in St. Louis from 1918 to 1922. Upon returning from dental school, he married and lived in the home with his wife Edith, son Lee and widowed mother Amanda who remarried to Matthew H. Cochran in the mid to late 1920’s and took over ownership of the home until he died in the 1930’s.
Miles and his family left the home in the early 1930’s with the advent of the depression as well and moved to Kankakee. His mother remained in the home as a double widow until her death around 1952 or 1953.
In 1955, the home was vacant, likely in probate for a period of time and was purchased shortly after that (ca 1956) by John W. and Mary Dungey. Mary operated Mary Dungey Real Estate out of an office in the home for several years while renting apartment space out in the home. Prior to that she had an office at 607 S. Carbon St.
One of the occupants to rent space in the home around 1960 was Gertrude Lipe. Gertrude owned the Four Way Café at 709 W. Main Street. In 1965 Gertrude’s name changed to Gertrude Gray for a very short period of time indicating a marriage that either ended in death or separation because it quickly changed back to Gertrude Lipe.
Just as a footnote, in 1971, Cletus Gamble and his wife Violet moved from 206 S. Future St. to one of the apartments. Cletus worked for the Marion Street Department and was killed by a train on the C & EI RR tracks here in town in the early 1970’s. His widow, Violet, continued living here for years.
In 1972, Gertrude Lipe, the apartment dweller, became the owner of the home and finished out her retirement living in the home.
In 1979, ownership of the house changed to Kenneth Shadowens who worked for Kenworth Truck Company, based in St. Louis, Missouri. Kenneth appears to have maximized the use of the home for apartments as income property. From as many as five tenants to as few as two are listed yearly in city directories under his ownership.
In 2002 or 2003, the home ownership changed from Kenneth Shadowens to John Anderson who held the house only until 2004.
In 2004, the home was purchased by Angie (Powers) and Roger West. Roger works for the Illinois Central Bus Company located on Fifth St. in Marion. The West family is still in occupancy of the home as of this date in March 2013. Since their ownership of the home the West family has spent considerable time and effort to try and restore the home to its original pre-apartment splendor and have done a wonderful job on it.
Sam’s Notes: This home even when new was so large that the original owners, the Martin family, rented space to boarders and there have been few times in its history that it hasn’t had extra space rented out. It’s likely that the West family will be the exception.
(Data from Marion City Directories, 1905 Souvenir History, WCHS; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 03/30/2013)