 266 W. Commercial, ca. 1910 |
 226 W. Commercial (a converted barn) |
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266 W. Commercial, ca. 1910 |
226 W. Commercial (a converted barn) |
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This historic home in Lowell was purchased in unfinished condition on November 22, 1904 by Eldon N. and Lizzie (Hayden) Hayhurst. Only two weeks later, Lizzie died on December 8, 1904. Eldon finished the construction on his new home and added a barn at the rear of the property to house riding horses he would bring from his farm in West Creek Township, near Lowell. Commercial Avenue in Lowell was a gravel road at this time.
Eldon married Ida Grace Hoshaw, daughter of Henry William Hoshaw, on August 28, 1907. Ida was a prominent mezzo soprano and with her sister, Anna Maude (Hoshaw) Belshaw, wife of James William Belshaw, entertained at numerous community functions in Lowell and the surrounding area.
The exterior construction pf 226 West Commercial Avenue, being of well fired red brick, with narrow mortar joints, has stood the test of time quite well. Ida related to this writer that men by the name of Webb did the masonry work on the two neighboring properties, 266 and 231 West Commercial Avenue.
Interior features of the home included oak trim on the stairway to the second floor and elaborate decorative spindle-work above and around archways in and out of the living room. The downstairs flooring was hardwood. The upstairs bedroom floors were painted pine. Large area rugs were used on the flooring, both upstairs and down at least until 1948.
The heating of the home was done by the use of a coal-fired furnace without the assistance of a furnace fan. A large three to four foot square metal floor grate positioned directly above the furnace permitted warm air to gravitate upward throughout the home. A fireplace on the inside wall of the living room had a lovely brick mantel and surround; however it did not function well.
The house was fitted with standard ceiling fixtures and wall outlets. There was one bathroom on the second floor and the kitchen was fitted with free-standing cabinets for storage. A porcelain sink on legs provided a source of water in that area. A kerosene stove was used for cooking until 1948, and an "ice box," positioned in the hallway going to the basement, was used as a refrigerator at this time for the Hayhurst family.
Sometime, probably in the 1930's, Edwin Pixley, brother-in-law of Eldon N. Hayhurst, purchased the barn at the rear of the 266 West Commercial address, and had it moved to 226 West Commercial Avenue and made into a nice home which, for many years was occupied by G.W. Bardens, a local veterinarian.
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