Open fields of wheat once stretched in front of this home built by carpenter Amos R. Howerton and his brother circa 1903. Its steeply pitched gables and gracious wraparound porch are hallmarks of the eclectic Queen Anne style. On its prominent corner, the home presided over the rural neighborhood. Howerton purchased two adjoining lots in 1906, likely intending to build on speculation. This, however, was not meant to be. On January 23, 1907, 42-year-old Howerton died instantly when he fell from scaffolding into electrical wires at a nearby power substation. His widow returned to Missouri and subsequent owners of the home included farmer Ferdinand Dell and the Henry J. Dewey family. The late Victorian-era residence, built with pattern book plans, features two formal front entrances. One opens into the dining room and the other into the living room, yet the two interior rooms were never divided. Although time has long obscured Howerton’s logic, it remains a poignant curiosity to present-day owners.
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