GRACE BEANE

Grace Beane

While cleaning and straightening the genealogy room at the Algona Public Library last fall, I found several photos of a Mrs. Beane and her home.  I had previously come across the Beane name while researching other topics, so I felt a touch of serendipity when the photos surfaced.  There was also an accompanying letter stating that she kept boarders—mostly young single lady teachers.  I was fairly certain that her husband was a doctor, so the fact that she kept boarders made me curious so I decided to dig a little further.

MEET THE BEANES

Grace Armington was born in 1861 near Chester, Vermont.  She moved to Iowa with her family in 1878.  Five years later at the age of 22 she married Dr. Albert A. Beane.  Albert had gone to medical school at the state university and, after getting his medical license, had begun practicing in Ida Grove.  In 1891 the two moved to Burt where he practiced for thirteen years.  His practice was not restricted to just the Burt area—he traveled the county tending to his patients.

From Burt Monitor 10/28/1897

Albert and Grace were unable to have any children of their own.  While residing in Burt, the wife of a local man, John Grover, passed away and he could not care for all of his children.  The Beanes took in his two youngest daughters, Myrtle and Dicie.  They would go on to adopt the girls and raise them as their own.

In 1903 the family moved to What Cheer, Iowa, where Dr. Beane continued to practice medicine.  Just a few months after the move, the doctor became very ill with peritonitis.  News of his illness spread back to this area and several friends including Dr. M. J. Kenefick rushed to his side, but did not arrive until after Albert had passed away.  Grace was a widow at the age of 42.

 
LIFE WITHOUT ALBERT

Having only been in What Cheer a few months, Grace had not yet established any close relationships.  There were two young daughters to care for, aged 7 and 9.  She decided to move to Algona to be near the friends she had in Burt and the surrounding area.

She purchased the Cooke cottage located at 415 East Call Street.  Before moving in, Grace built a kitchen addition on to the house and installed a hot-water heating plant and connected to city sewer. 

Although the Beanes owned a farm which provided Grace with some income, she had two young daughters to support and so she knew that she had to do something to earn funds to help with expenses.  Once settled into her newly remodeled home, Mrs. Beane began to take in boarders—young single female teachers who taught at the local schools. 

Grace must have been a marvelous landlord for the young ladies.  An article published in the December 21, 1905 edition of the Advance states, “Mrs. A.A. Beane treated her lady boarders to a fine carriage ride Saturday afternoon.  She drove them out to the poor farm and then back and out to the A.D. Clarke farm east of town, besides making sight-seeing journies in various other directions.  When the young fellows on the curb stones caught a glimpse of the school ma’ams in the load they began singing that old Sunday school song ‘I want to go, I want to go’ etc.”  I can only imagine the merriment that was experienced during that carriage ride.

A BUSY LIFE

The girls enrolled in the local schools and thrived here.  Their birth father, John Grover, continued to visit them on occasion and they also kept in touch with two older sisters, one of whom lived in Titonka and the other in South Dakota. Myrtle was a naturally talented musician and became well-known for her abilities at the piano.  Dicie delighted in participating in declamatory events, debating and reader’s theatre and won many awards.  She was much in demand at area programs reading classical or humorous prose, often participating in the annual Memorial Day program with a patriotic reading.  During World War I, the sisters teamed up together to present programs as a way to raise much needed funds for the Red Cross.

Grace, too, was busy in the community.  She was a member of P.E.O., the Library Aid Society, and the Home Economics Club.  A devoted member of the Presbyterian Church, she often hosted meetings of the Ladies Aid Society in her home and had several fundraisers there as well.  She managed the farm land in Portland Township, occasionally visiting the tenants and making necessary improvements including the building of a new barn in 1907.

415 East Call Street, Algona

The Beane home was often the site of many happy celebrations.  Both Myrtle and Dicie were encouraged to bring their friends over for impromptu gatherings.  Even the teachers who boarded there would host dinner parties, inviting all of the teachers from the school to join the festivities. 

As the girls got older, they began to use their skills to help support themselves.  Myrtle gave piano lessons at her home and at various places in the county.  At one time she had 32 students in Titonka alone.  Dicie also gave lessons in dramatic art and public speaking.  Eventually both girls went to Coe College at Cedar Rapids.  Myrtle obtained her teaching degree and Dicie studied elocution. 

A particularly joyous occasion took place on August 20, 1918, when Dicie was married to Theo Ewart, who was head of the Quinby & Krause shoe department.  The ceremony took place at the family home which was beautifully decorated in yellow and white for the summer ceremony.  A delicious wedding dinner was served at 5 p.m. for the bridal party and their guests. 

The following year the Ewarts had a daughter of their own.  Grace enjoyed her role as grandmother and began making regular trips to Hampton where the couple now lived. 

Myrtle began teaching at Ames, moved to South Dakota, and eventually ended up in Duluth, Minnesota where she became a social worker. 

LATER YEARS

With the girls both grown and on their own, Grace did some traveling.  She would occasionally rent her home out for several months while she was gone.  She spent one winter at the home of her sister in Minnesota and on another occasion she went to Winnipeg to keep house for her nephew who lost his wife in the influenza epidemic in 1919.

415 East Call, Algona in 2016

Grace remained active in the community until her sudden passing from a heart attack on January 21, 1928.  Her obituary stated that she “was held in the highest esteem by her many friends because of her splendid qualities as a true Christian woman and friend.”  Her funeral was conducted by Rev. A. English at the Presbyterian Church with her burial at Riverview Cemetery here in Algona.

Myrtle and Dicie continued to visit Algona off and on over the years, keeping in contact with their many friends here.  I am sure that their visits always included a drive past their childhood home where so many happy memories were made.

I think it is quite touching that one of her boarders cared so much for Grace that she saved these photos throughout her life.  It is delightful to share them--and Grace's story--with you.  

Until next time,

Kossuth County History Buff

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