If walls could talk, Youk's home could share century-old secrets
Property rich in history makes perfect home for Justin and Wendy Youk
Staff writer
If walls could talk the ones in Justin and Wendy Youk's Marion home would probably say they're happy for the long dry spell.
Located on the banks of Luta Creek in Marion's valley area, the 101-year-old home has seen its share of history — including several floods which covered its first floor in several feet of water.
While many other valley homes collapsed or were washed away by the floods, the Youks' stately home at 500 N. Third remains today.
A young couple with unbridled energy, the Youks purchased the home six years ago in June. Since then they've been busy making improvements on the house and property.
Built in 1903 by William H. Carpenter, an early Marion lawyer, the house was constructed of limestone from Chingawassa Springs.
According to information contained in Marion Historic Home Guide, the stone was brought to the site one year prior to building and cut.
Two generations of the Carpenter family lived in the home, the W.H. Carpenter family and the W.R. (William Randolph) Carpenter family. Both father and son were attorneys and had offices in the home. W.R. served as a United States Attorney and Fourth District Congressman.
As for the Youks, an interest in older homes led them to the property. Before making the decision to purchase, the two also were looking at a home on historic Elm Street when the Dutch Colonial in the valley grabbed their heart.
"I was attracted to it because of the style," Justin said. "It's unusual."
With the creek meandering through the backyard, huge trees, and large lot, the property had a "rural" feel which enticed the couple.
"There were no close neighbors on either side so it seemed like a place in the country but had the amenities of living in town," Wendy explained.
"The house sold itself," Justin added. "The location and yard were the deciding factors."
Fixing up
Yards are Justin's specialty. Employed as the groundskeeper at Marion Country Club, making terrain beautiful is right down his alley.
"This yard was a jungle," Justin said. "It took us four years to get it cleaned up. We took out about 40 trees. It had so many trees grass couldn't grow."
Wendy said the front of the house was so overgrown passers-by couldn't even see the limestone which makes the front porch unique. Constructed to create small arches topped with pillars which hold the roof, the porch is the exterior focal point. It dominates most of the south side of the house curving around toward the west side.
"I think the porch makes the whole house with its curved stone," Wendy said. "Somebody cut all those stones by hand from Chingawassa Springs. There was a railroad close to the house and the stone was brought here on it.
"The porch is one of my favorite places," she added. "This porch swing was originally a bench for carriage riders to sit on."
Besides the bench turned swing, lush plants, a hammock, lounge chairs, and other seating make for an inviting setting.
The other dominant feature of the exterior is the red gambrel roof and gable style. A variety of windows on the second floor adds interest.
Behind the home is an old carriage house. Justin said it was used as a garage for years but it was beyond restoration.
"Its time is limited," he said.
Once the property was cleaned up, the couple installed a sprinkler system and planted fescue. Now, the lush green lawn beckons visitors to throw off their shoes and run barefoot.
A new addition to the property is a wrought-iron fence lining the sidewalk which helps contribute to the home's stately feel. Originally, shrubs lined the front of the property.
"It was so time consuming keeping them trimmed and looking good. So we pulled them out," Justin said. "I made the fence for Wendy last winter."
The steps to the front of the house are flanked by two gargoyles.
"Those gargoyles are my favorite thing," Justin said. "They are supposed to ward off evil spirits."
The house is surrounded by giant trees — for Kansas — which dwarf the home. Years and years of soil deposited by the Luta and periodic flooding made the ground fertile allowing the trees to grow so tall.
Also, that part of town is usually protected from all but the very strongest winds.
"We can barely hear it blow down here most of the time," Wendy said.
The 3300 square-foot Youk home includes four bedrooms and two and one-half baths. The walls are made of six-inch thick concrete. Inside, the family has made other improvements.
"We've done a lot of work in the kitchen," Wendy said, "a new counter top, we wallpapered, painted."
One of the most enticing areas is the sunroom. Originally constructed as a portico on the east side of the home, carriages could pull under the covered area for passengers to embark or disembark in a protected area. A door led into the entryway of the home.
With the invention of the "horseless carriage" (car) in the early 1900s, the Carpenters enclosed the portico in the 1920s and made it into a sunroom.
"They used stone from an old jail that was torn down," Wendy said.
Surrounded on three sides by windows, the sunroom brings the outdoors in and provides a cheerful place to sit and read.
The front door and sunroom both lead to the entry hall. An original gas light, long ago converted to electricity, lights the way. A wooden staircase leads to the second floor.
"The Carpenters had a baby grand piano which sat right in front of that staircase for years," Wendy said.
One of the most used rooms in the house is the living room. Exposed dark-stained oak beam ceilings and imposing oak moldings give that room a lodge look. The focal point of the room is a huge fireplace, with the original woodwork.
A painting of the home, completed by artist Dean Batt, has a place on honor hanging above the mantle.
"That was a gift from Justin's parents," Wendy said.
The windows are festooned with treatments which look original to the time period. But finding just the right window covering has been a challenge, Wendy said.
"The window treatments were all old and louvered and most were rotten and every window is a different size," Wendy said. "They all look the same, but they're all different."
Antiques placed throughout the downstairs area make the house a home.
"Justin bought furniture for years," Wendy said. "We needed a place big enough where we could put it."
The Youks' most unusual pieces of furniture is a curved table which provides the focal point in the dining room.
"I picked it up about 10 years ago in Muskogee, Okla.," Justin said. "I found it in an antique store."
Taken from an old courthouse, the piece was used as a jury table.
"I think the dining room table is our most asked about item," Wendy said.
Painting has been the biggest improvement the Youks have made inside the home. Except for the living room which is dark, the rest of the downstairs living area is bright and cheery.
"Mostly we painted it white," Wendy said. "At first we tried to strip it, but that didn't work so well."
One thing that did work well was uncovering one of the home's hidden secrets.
The Youks realized that the door jamb between their living room and dining room was unusually thick. When they took off the wood they discovered a set of pocket doors.
"After the 1951 flood, the wooden floors had swollen so much the doors couldn't be pulled out of the pockets," Wendy said.
Apparently, the floors stayed swollen for years and a previous owner decided to cover up the pockets.
"In the years since, the floor finally dried out and we were able to pull the doors out," Wendy said. "We wiped the mud and silt out of there."
Standing as a testament to its sound construction, the house survived numerous floods.
"The water was about four feet high on the first floor," Justin said. "But the second floor is perfect."
Every once in awhile the Youks find other evidence of the home's history.
"We found some old checks which were signed by Mrs. W.H. Carpenter," Wendy said. "She must have been ahead of her time because most women would not have been signing checks then."
Even though the house has a long history, so too does the property. Justin said the location was the site of one of Marion's mineral springs and sanitarium.
According to the book, "Marion County Kansas: Past and Present," by Sondra VanMeter, the mineral springs craze "lasted about five years and was centered around several springs in the Marion area.
"One of the springs was located two blocks from the Elgin Hotel," VanMeter reports. "Wells were sunk in 1885 by Walter Sharp who lived on the lot north of the Elgin.
"Sharp took the water to several chemists who told him it contained soda, iron, magnesia, sulphur, and other ingredients and other medicinal qualities," VanMeter wrote. "Sharp peddled the water around town and people reported beneficial results from drinking it. In time, Sharp made enough money to build a bath and boarding house, Marion Sanitarium, which provided hot and cold baths."
Business flourished during the boom times of the late 1880s but fell flat after the economic downturn in 1890 and the property ran down, according to the history book.
"I found foundations from the sanitarium and bathhouse out in the yard," Justin said. "And our well water has a funny smell."
The property's historical past, the home's ability to withstand the elements, and its park-like setting make the home a place the Youks plan to stay for years to come.
"A lot of the homes in the valley which managed to survive the floods over the years were moved to the hill," Justin said. "But this house has stood the test of time.
"We're happy with it."
