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From Spaulding to Barber with an album<\/p>\nFrom Spaulding to Barber with an album<\/p>\n
Oliver Lyman Spaulding<\/strong> Charles T. Babcock<\/strong> Ralph and Beulah Ballantine<\/strong> Dr. Robert E. Benson<\/strong> Anthony A. and Agnes Kuntz<\/strong> Mark Barber<\/strong> From Spaulding to Barber with an album<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40247\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nOliver Lyman Spaulding, the original owner of Oakland Place, has a personal history as interesting as the venerable building which he constructed.
\nBorn in Jaffrey, N.H., in 1833, Spaulding graduated from Oberlin College and taught at schools in Ohio and Michigan before being admitted to the bar and settling in St. Johns in 1858.
\nSpaulding began a law practice in the fledgling village which had been founded in 1856. He married Mary Swegles, daughter of John Swegles who was one of the founders of St. Johns – and for whom the city is named.
\nThe couple built the original home in 1861, prior to Spaulding’s departure for service in the Civil War. He was captain of the 23rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and was later appointed to major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel.
\nSpaulding was named senior officer in command of his regiment after being commissioned as major in 1863, and was discharged in 1865 from his command of the 2nd Division, 23rd Army Corps, being brevetted as Brigadier General.
\nGen. Spaulding went on to serve his country in various capacities following his return from the Civil War. He was elected Michigan Secretary of State in 1866 and 1868; served as a special agent of the Treasury Dept. under President Grant; was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1881; and served as Asst. Sec. of Treasury from 1890-93, and 1897 to 1903.
\nSpaulding was living in Washington D.C. at the time of his death in 1922. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.<\/p>\n
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\nCharles T. Babcock was a son of Marvin Babcock, Esq., who owned a jewelry retail business in St. Johns. The Babcocks were one of the early St. Johns\u2019 families, living in the home located on the northeast corner of Oakland and State Streets. Charles was a U.S. Government Indian Agent; he prospered as a trader and investor in the Indian Territories.
\nUpon his return to St. Johns, Charles was equally successful in business ventures in central Michigan. He was President of the Union Telephone Company, which originated in Alma in 1899. The company acquired the National Telephone Company in 1901 – the National Telephone Company was the first such business in the City of St. Johns, established in 1889. By 1910, the Union Telephone Company was providing service to Michigan\u2019s 13 central counties. It continued to expand, and was acquired by General Telephone Exchange (GTE) in 1957.
\nCharles was one of the first individuals in St. Johns – and probably mid-Michigan – to own an automobile. A newspaper article dated April 17, 1902, reads: \u201cCharles T. Babcock received his new Olds automobile and it runs like a top. It carries enough gasoline to run 100 miles, and has a 4 H.P. engine, and slow motion gear for hill climbing. It cost $650.\u201d Another newspaper clipping from August 1904, reads: \u201cAuto races were held for the first time at the Clinton County Fair. Charles T. Babcock was third in the \u2018home machine\u2019 race, with his 4-1\/2 H.P. Olds Runabout.\u201d
\nMrs. Mary Babcock held a prominent place in the social history of St. Johns. On Dec. 19, 1891, she helped organize the St. Johns Literary Club, serving as its first president. The organization was a spin-off of the Ladies Library Association which was organized in 1871. In 1895, the St. Johns Literary Club federated with the State Federation and became part of the General Federation of Women\u2019s Club. The St. Johns Chapter of the GFWC remains active today. It has played a vital role over the years in countless charitable fund-raising and community events.
\nIn the early 1920s, Charles Babcock built a private mausoleum at Mt. Rest Cemetery in St. Johns. His parents bodies were interred in the cut-stone building. His interment took place August 2, 1926.<\/p>\n
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\nRalph Ballantine was originally from the Laingsburg area in Clinton County. He and his wife, Beulah Sowle Ballantine, moved to St. Johns in 1927. Ralph was involved in real estate development and investments, and had platted a large portion of the north side of the city of Lansing.
\nBeulah\u2019s family tree includes an original settler of Clinton County – James Sowle, Jr. In 1936, Sowle bought land in sections 21, 22, and 23 in what would become Essex Township, located northwest of the present-day city of St. Johns. Sowle built the first house within the boundaries of what would become the village of Maple Rapids; he also built the first framed barn in the township. He had been a Justice of the Peace before coming to Clinton County, and often helped his neighbors with legal affairs. Sowle held numerous offices within the township during its early years, including constable and school inspector. Classes for the first school in the township, that was established in 1840, were held in the upper part of Sowle\u2019s log house. The pupils included children from his family.
\nSowle also played a role in the development of other parts of Clinton County. In 1837, he supervised the construction of the first grist mill in the county, located in the village of Wacousta in Watertown Township.
\nA great-granddaughter of Sowles, Beulah carried on the family tradition of community service. She was particularly well-known for her involvement with health care and the American Red Cross. Beulah started the first blood bank in Clinton County, and served as chairperson of the American Red Cross during World War II. She also served on the library board and county draft board.
\nIn later years Beulah built a home in St. Johns, located on the corner of Mead and Park streets. A life-long Clinton County resident, Beulah passed away in 1993.<\/p>\n
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\nDr. Robert E. Benson was born in Belding. He moved to St. Johns with his family, and graduated from Rodney B. Wilson High School. He attended Michigan State University for one year, before enrolling at the Kirksville College of Osteopathy and Surgery, Kirksville, Missouri, where he graduated in 1933.
\nDr. Benson practiced osteopathy and surgery in Grand Haven for 18 months before returning to St. Johns in 1935. He was an osteopathic physician and surgeon in St. Johns for more than 25 years. Dr. Benson\u2019s first office was located above the J. C. Penney Store on Clinton Avenue in downtown St. Johns. He later moved his office to the corner house east of 206 W. Walker Street, where he moved to in 1945.
\nDr. Benson was a candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives in 1950. He was a charter member of the St. Johns Exchange Club, which was founded October 7, 1937. His wife, Mrs. R.E. Benson, was a charter member of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which was founded January 7, 1957. She served as the organization\u2019s first vice-regent.
\nIn 1960, Dr. Benson was named medical director of the Garden City and Ridgewood Hospitals in the west Detroit area.<\/p>\n
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\nAnthony A. Kuntz was born August 6, 1909, in West Union, Minnesota. He graduated from St. Johns University, Collegesville, Minnesota. He came to Clinton County in 1937 to work for the Compton Company. He was a sales manager for Encyclopedia Britannica and Compton Company for 46 years.
\nMary Agnes (Klein) Kuntz came to Clinton County from Three Rivers, Michigan, in 1937 to work for the Federal Land Bank. Agnes and Tony met in St. Johns, and were married October 14, 1939. They had six children.
\nTony passed away February 14, 1980, in St. Johns. Agnes survives him, and after the fire at Oakland Place she moved to a home on S. Morton Street. She passed away in 1998.
\nTony was a true community leader in every sense of the word. He served as a trustee on the St. Johns Board of Education, was president of the St. Johns Library Board and the St. Johns Cemetery Association, and served on numerous United Way campaigns. He and his family were active members of St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Johns. He was a Past Grand Knight of the Third Degree, Faithful Navigator, Fourth Degree, of the Knights of Columbus. He was also a member of the Professional Bookman Association.
\nPerhaps one of Tony\u2019s greatest legacies was the work he did on behalf of the Clinton Area Care Center which resulted in the construction in 1979 of Hazel I. Findlay Country Manor, a skilled care facilty which provides long-term care for the aged population of Clinton County. Tony served as a co-chairperson of the original fund-raising drive which helped secure the $1.8 million necessary for the construction of the facility. Tony died just three months after groundbreaking ceremonies for the Manor were held November 10, 1979. He is buried at Mt. Rest Cemetery in St. Johns.<\/p>\n
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\nSome people called Mark Barber a visionary – others said he was foolish. Perhaps “dreamer” is a more apt description of the man who saved more than one landmark building in St. Johns, including the “Kuntz Home” following the fire in 1992 that nearly demolished the structure. Other notable buildings that bear touches of Mark’s handiwork are the former Emmons House on South Lansing Street and the old Hart Hospital – the brick building on Spring Street near Walker in the downtown business district.
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The successful outcome of one project – the conversion of Central School into a banquet and conference center – was beyond even Mark’s visionary reach. He was forced to abandon the project in 1999, after having purchased the property from St. Johns Public Schools in 1987 and actively working on its renovation beginning a decade later.
\nThere’s little doubt that resurrecting the Kuntz Home from the ashes and transforming it into Oakland Place was Mark’s biggest restoration achievement. He was aided in the endeavor by Terry Theriac who designed all the room layouts and coordinated all the interior decorating to create their home that was a blend of classic, traditional style and modern convenience.
\nThe St. Johns native graduated from St. Johns High School in 1970 and attended Alma College. He passed away at Oakland Place December 8, 2006, at the age of 55.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"