December 2012

Bonnie Knoll is 150 years old!

On Saturday, November 10, Marianne and Guinn Doyle hosted the 150^th birthday celebration of their home at 635 E. Pine.  The home has had 13 owners since it was built in 1862.  The Doyles bought it in 1999 and have faithfully researched the history and former owners.  Originally the house was built on four acres and referred to as the house of the hill.   It is located on the southwest corner of 6^th and Pine.  Today, many of us have noticed it for its newly constructed garage.

From 1922 to 1963 the home was owned by Charles and Grace Monroe.  They made several changes to the home including a sunroom on the south side, a new porch and veranda on the north side and several interior changes.  They took down the wall between the two parlors and made it a large living room, built a new fireplace with adjoining bookshelves and added glass doors and corner cabinets to the dining room.  As they made these changes over the years, fellow villagers referred to it as the pretty house on the hill.  Mr. Monroe, being of Scottish heritage, named the home “Bonnie Knoll.”  This is all documented in a story written by Grace Monroe.  There are even actual samples of the wallpaper they used.

In addition to the journal, there is correspondence between Mr. Monroe and Eli Lilly.  Charles was commissioned to sculpt several metal creations for the Lillys.   He also created much of the metalwork on his home which is still in excellent condition today.

The Monroes employed a caretaker, Mrs. Bratton, who helped them over the years.  She and her family lived in the small house on Laurel Street, adjacent to their home.    As the family expanded, they grew out of the one-bedroom cottage.  The Monroes then built another home for them on Laurel Street.  Mrs. Bratton had a son and daughter, Lynnetta, who was born in 1951.  In 1962, Lynetta was with Mr. Monroe when he died only three days after his wife.  The Monroes didn’t have children and treated the Bratton kids as grandchildren.  The Doyles, who have kept in contact with Lynnetta,  invited her to the celebration.   A week before the party, she told them that she and her daughter, Emily, would be attending the party and travelling to Zionsville from their home in Seattle.

Lynnetta, Emily and forty-five of the Doyles’ friends had a wonderful evening on November 10^th.  Many memories, stories and histories were shared that night.  The only regret was that Bonnie Knoll couldn’t tell all of her stories.

HOME TOUR HYPERVENTILATION

Green Gifts for a Happier Holiday

Would you like to make your holiday season a little less stressful and turn it a brighter shade of green? Would you like a season that focuses more on your relationships than your stuff? We have some advice that might help.

Making a List and Checking It Twice: Write down all of the names of people for whom you normally buy gifts. Is there someone on the list that you’d like to see more often? Instead of giving a gift, make arrangements to get together. Could someone on your list use company throughout the year? Avoid buying a gift and, instead, promise a monthly visit. Do you have adult family members on the list? Suggest a dinner together in lieu of gifts, donate to a charity that you select as a group, have a “white elephant” gift exchange, or draw names and buy for just one person. Remember, in most relationships, gift-giving is a two-way street. If you want to change the rules this year, communicate with friends and family members about your ideas and suggestions. They will probably be glad that you were brave enough to bring it up!

Don’t Break the Bank: Decide how much you plan to spend on holiday giving. Once you have a total, estimate a budget for each person on your list. Remember that the little extras, such as stocking stuffers and accessories, can add up. As you begin to shop, keep track of your receipts. Periodically evaluate how much you’re spending compared to the budget that you developed.

Priceless: Consider gifts of yourself and your time. These gifts improve your relationships, cost nothing, and create no waste. For example, you could offer to visit a friend and bring all the fixings for a homemade dinner—and then make it together. You might schedule a game or movie night for family or friends. You could offer to babysit for an evening or even a weekend. No children in the family? Offer to pet sit or house sit. Volunteer to clean up the yard in the spring or mow the lawn. The possibilities are endless.

Made With Love: Another way to give of yourself is to put your skills to work by making homemade gifts. If you preserve food or jams, give some away as gifts. Record a CD or DVD of a child’s performance or an “interview” that gets the child talking about friends, school, and activities, and send the recording to a far-off relative. Refresh a family memory by making your brother the cookies that Grandma used to bake. Decorate an old picture frame with fishing lures and add a photo of you and your grandpa fishing together. Put your old jewelry, clothes, and hats into an unneeded suitcase to create the perfect dress-up chest for a child. We’re sure you can think of many other ideas that reflect your own hobbies or honor the skills that a family member or friend passed along to you.

Experience the Drama: Do you have friends or relatives who love a certain sports team but don’t go to games very often? Give them tickets! Not a sports fan? Give tickets to a concert or play, a movie gift card, a membership to the Sullivan Munce Museum , or park passes. If you have a friend who is interested in learning  something new or becoming an expert on a favorite hobby, offer to pay for a class.