Nodaway
As I have been writing down memories of earlier times in my life, I have been struck at how many references have been made to Nodaway. I thought it would be appropriate to attempt to describe Nodaway and the role it has played in my family’s history. This website seems to be a perfect place to share the story.
Although, I began this project as a way to pass on a lot of family information to my children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren, I decided to include it here since it contains a lot of historical information that might be of interest to anyone who wants to know more about this special neighborhood.
Submitted by: Franklin C. Redmond
the creators of Nodaway
50th Wedding Anniversary
Nodaway: A Memoir, by Franklin C. Redmond
Briefly Nodaway is the name my mother, Viola Kellum Redmond gave to the house at 804 Lazy Lane. Through the years it has been spelled Nodaway and Nod-a-way. For consistency, in this paper, I will spell it Nodaway. Origin of the name for the house: When my grandfather, Franklin “Hub” Redmond’s family moved from Lee County, Illinois to Crab Orchard, Johnson County, Nebraska, in 1869-70, they spent the winter in Nodaway County, Missouri. Hub’s brother, John, wrote a memoir about the journey and the early years in Crab Orchard.
My mother thought the name would be a good name for the house here on Mt. Wesley. I always assumed it had some meaning like “sleeping in the treetops,” or “nice place to nap.”
It turns out it is not an English word at all but is a Native American name. It is the name given to a river. The Nodaway River is a 65.7-mile-long river in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri. It flows into the Missouri River. Nodaway County, Missouri gets its name from the river.
The river’s name (as “Nodawa”) first appears in the journal of Lewis and Clark, who camped at the mouth of the river on July 8, 1804, but who provide no derivation of the name. The name is an Otoe-Missouria term meaning “jump over water”. The term would be spelled today in full as Nyi At’ąwe (nyi (water) + a- (on) + t’ąwe (jump)) and would be contracted in regular speech as Nyat’ąwe or Nat’ąwe.
In whatever way my mother appropriated the name, Nodaway has fit for our family’s use for 85 years.
Lazy Lane, the street in front of the house was originally Shady Lane. When the area was taken in by the City of Kerrville, there already was a Shady Lane. The Postal Service required a different name.
House of Peace
The House of Peace was built by Elsie Wells Peace, wife of John Ira Peace, and her 4 children in 1949-50. She was a dedicated member of the First Methodist Church in McAllen, Texas. She was friends with Reverend and Mrs. Hamner, and she enjoyed attending the Ashram activities at the Mt. Wesley Church Encampment. To have a break from the heat in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Elsie made plans for a summer home in Kerrville at 916 Lazy Lane. She purchased 3 contiguous lots and built on the middle lot. She wanted the land to stay as a natural habitat and the home to be simple in design. The steps leading up to the home from Lazy Lane bear her children’s family names. Peace, Morgan, Reynolds, and Haines.
Elsie dreamed of having a family gathering place and looked forward to spending time with grandchildren WITHOUT their parents.
The house was a simple two-story home built with concrete blocks. There was a fireplace on each level. The lower story had a small kitchen, bathroom, and twin beds with bookshelves, and a large family area. In the family area, was a long table with benches on either side, built from leftover wood. It was the center of life at the House of Peace, and the place where adventures of the day were shared. The home was filled with laughter. Elsie stayed downstairs, and the upstairs became a “kid zone”.
Elsie was 66 years old in 1953. She might have as many as 12-13, out of 21 grandchildren, at one time for most of the summer, depending on our age groups. Our lives were full of adventures such as swimming at the encampment, hiking, building forts, swinging, and riding a red wagon down the driveway, which necessitated making a quick decision to choose the low road or the high road to land.
After the loss of Elsie Peace in 1975, the House of Peace was passed to Louise and Lester Haines. When they had passed by 1989, the home was sold to Louis Allred who remodeled the home. Sandra Speed purchased the home on April 19, 1994 and called it home for 16 years. Linda Bullard, the current owner, purchased the home on May 21, 2010.
Linda Bullard has been adopted by the John Ira and Elsie Peace family due to her gracious hospitality to the Peace, Morgan, Reynolds, and Haines family members. We are forever thankful and blessed as she embraces our legacy and memories of our time spent at the House of Peace.
So Many Happy Hours Have Been Spent Here
By Cindy Peace Stone and Mary Morgan Henderson
On June 6, 1950, Elsie Peace writes to her children, Louise Haines, Laura Morgan, Raymond Peace, and Thelma Reynolds, about progress building the House of Peace. Her dream of having a gathering place for her children and grand-children is coming true at last!
This letter is from the Haines Family Collection.Click on pages to enlarge.
The Point
Take a rare tour through an iconic Methodist Encampment home more than 3o years ago. See how The Point looked in June of 1993 shortly after it changed hands. The new owners had their work cut out for them, but they were full of enthusiasm. Part II takes place four months later, and we see what they had accomplished.
