The Boing family home at 7330 Maple is one of the very fine solidly built homes that we are fortunate to have in Maplewood. The builder, William Sites, sat this structure on solid bedrock. So there could be no doubt he left some of the bedrock exposed in the basement foundation and floor. It is a comforting detail.
I have a personal connection to this home that goes back to the late 1970s when it was occupied by the McCoy family. My wife and I have regarded them as members of our extended family. The home is now occupied by the Shewmakers who are also our very close friends.
My close friend Bill McCoy passed away earlier this year. We shared many interests and had many fine times together. Bill was one-of-a-kind and I mean that in a very good way. I feel like I have to mention his passing but anything I say is inadequate to express how I feel. Hopefully I’ll be able to properly honor him in a future post.
Built in 1904, this image is from 1906. Courtesy of Bill McCoy.This is a photo I put together for a presentation now long forgotten. Louis having passed in 1911 is reflected in the 1912 Maplewood Directory which lists only Christine, wid. (ow) and Albert, mach. (inist) living at 7330 Maple. With Albert having been born in 1879 this photo is probably from 1881 or close, don’t you think? Courtesy of Bill McCoy.According to Bill McCoy this building at 7400-02 Manchester was also built by Louis Boing. It and the Boing home at 7330 Maple are of the same buff colored brick.The ghost hardware sign on the side of the 7400 Manchester building. The 1982 Maplewood Survey District – A Community Profile by Rosemary Davidson states that Louis Boing owned Boing Machine shop at 2711-13 Sutton. It makes no mention of him having a business in the 7400 Manchester building. Perhaps he built it to generate rental income.The inscription on the back immediately follows.Rosemary Davidson’s survey also mentions that Louis Boing bought lots 22, 23 & 24 from Sutton Realty. In 1906 he sold 1 1/2 lots to his son-in-law, Henry G. Dauerheim, who built the house at 7324 Maple shown in the background of the previous photo. Dauerheim was a bookkeeper/clerk. Courtesy of Sherman Shewmaker.A copy of a real estate tax bill of Marie’s from 1933 which happens to be the year her mother, Christine, passed away. Since she is the owner of the property her husband Henry may have passed away by then also. Courtesy of Sherman Shewmaker.The Boing family automobile at the rear of 7330 Maple before a room addition was added. I have an opinion that this car is a Winton Flyer. However information collected for the 1982 survey from granddaughter, Audrey Reed Anderson, states that the family owned a Stanley Steamer reputed to be the first car in Maplewood. A special garage was built for that car. The garage had a stove for heat so the car could be warmed in the winter. It would not run when it was cold. This garage was long a topic of interest on history tours given by Esley Hamilton with me assisting. Courtesy of Bill McCoy.Here is the garage looking a bit roughed up.Here is why it looked roughed up. An enormous oak tree crashed down on to it during a storm in May of 2011. As you can see the garage supported that giant oak. Not many modern garages would have. The chimney for the stove needed to warm the Stanley Steamer can be seen at the rear.A view looking north towards the house.I believe someone from the Hendel family removed that tree. Local tree expert, Dave Patterson, sits astride the trunk whittling the tree down to manageable sizes. Regrettably the historic garage could not be saved.
4 COMMENTS
You can make out “Nails, Tools Cutlery” on the sign on the Sutton Ave side of 7400 Manchester .
I stood across the street several times trying to make out the name of the hardware store.
Does anyone know ?
And again, thanks Doug for this bit of Maplewood history. All I really know about our past, I learned from your posts.
No reply to your question, Tom. No one seems to know what the name of the hardware store was. If I stumble across it, I’ll certainly let you know. You are very welcome. It is rewarding to know that you’ve gained some insights to our history from my efforts.
Thanks, Doug, for telling us all this about the home that I have lived in now for just over 11 years! You have motivated me to do a little tree-ring analysis of the other oak tree that stood at the southwest corner of the old garage (and may have been of similar age to the one that fell) to see just how old these old oaks were. I saved a wedge that was cut out of the standing oak, which had to be removed in order to build the replacement garage. As a recall, I counted approximately 175 rings back in May 2011. I’ll clean up the wedge and see if that number is correct. I’ll let you know later. Thanks for your post. By the way, I assume the chimney on the garage was there so that the coal smoke generated by the Stanley Steemer could escape. The auto was not going anywhere until the fire generated enough steam to power this vehicle. I’m sure that took a while. And as a handy side effect in winter, the garage was heated!
I think everyone would be interested to know just how old that tree was. I think your suggestion that the chimney could have been used to remove the smoke from the car is very interesting. It seems reasonable to me. You are the first to suggest that. Thank you, Sherman.
You can make out “Nails, Tools Cutlery” on the sign on the Sutton Ave side of 7400 Manchester .
I stood across the street several times trying to make out the name of the hardware store.
Does anyone know ?
And again, thanks Doug for this bit of Maplewood history. All I really know about our past, I learned from your posts.
No reply to your question, Tom. No one seems to know what the name of the hardware store was. If I stumble across it, I’ll certainly let you know. You are very welcome. It is rewarding to know that you’ve gained some insights to our history from my efforts.
Thanks, Doug, for telling us all this about the home that I have lived in now for just over 11 years! You have motivated me to do a little tree-ring analysis of the other oak tree that stood at the southwest corner of the old garage (and may have been of similar age to the one that fell) to see just how old these old oaks were. I saved a wedge that was cut out of the standing oak, which had to be removed in order to build the replacement garage. As a recall, I counted approximately 175 rings back in May 2011. I’ll clean up the wedge and see if that number is correct. I’ll let you know later. Thanks for your post. By the way, I assume the chimney on the garage was there so that the coal smoke generated by the Stanley Steemer could escape. The auto was not going anywhere until the fire generated enough steam to power this vehicle. I’m sure that took a while. And as a handy side effect in winter, the garage was heated!
I think everyone would be interested to know just how old that tree was. I think your suggestion that the chimney could have been used to remove the smoke from the car is very interesting. It seems reasonable to me. You are the first to suggest that. Thank you, Sherman.