The French home located at 920 North Third Street in City Block No. 61 is the home. No record can be found as to when the house was built, but a record was found where Baptiste Jeaneasue lost title to this house in February 1812 and was sold on the court house steps to Henry Hight for $35.00. It is recorded that Baptiste Jeaneasue made no effort to save this house and his quote was “Now I can buy on Main Street where there is life, activity and people. I can tell you it is a lonely life living way up on the hill away from everything. We long for neighbors. We are tired of living in the country. We will be happier living in the city”.
On February 7, 1815, Henry Hight sold the home to Robert Spencer for $110.00 and again it is recorded that Robert Spencer sold the home on May 26, 1816 to Samuel Dorlaque for $110.00 and his quote was “The new owner will be happy there with so many children; he won’t get so lonesome living so far out.”
It was stated that in 1960, the house was probably 148 years old and would easily bring ten thousand dollars. (Can you imagine a home for $10,000.00?)
The house is made of hand made brick. Twice additions have been added but originally it is recorded in the sale as having three rooms on the main floor and one large room on the next floor and two rooms built ? on street level and ? half in the foundation level where cooking and eating rooms was done. It is thought that many French homes were built this way. The outside walls are 18 inches thick; the inside walls are 12 inches thick made of rows of brick. The windowsills are eight inches deep and originally the home was heated with fireplaces. There was no fireplace in the upper floor, so an opening in the corner of the room allowed heat to go up from the fireplace in the room below.
There is an intriguing inside staircase that leads from the kitchen in the ? basement to the “sleeping” room on the top floor.
The Abstract of Title shows there have been many owners of this old home and how amazing the prices have varied with this home. The home sits 76 ft on Third Street, the lot being 150 ft deep.
In 1941 the home was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Leo Stinger and did extensive remodeling but fortunately they retained the lovely Old French lines and style of this home.
(This article is from Historical Series – The $35 Residence by Edna McElhiney Olson with permission from the St. Charles County Historical Society.)
