There is also a full page article about Charles Bunyan Parsons on page 15 in the new Herculaneum Bicentennial Book recently published. It includes his photo and a picture of the Parson's Mansion. What a home this was - it states it was a brick 3 story, but also included a large studio room on a 4th floor. The mansion is noted to have had 22 rooms and a full basement. There was a large reception room, a formal dining with tooled leather wainscoting and hand painted floral designs on the walls and Italian chandeliers, as well as a music room with a pipe organ. The mansion was centrally heated with a large fireplace that used a railroad car of coal each year, in addition to four more fireplaces. There was extensive decking with intricate railings and a full view of the Mississippi River and also a carriage house, barns, orchards and formal gardens. Parsons kept his own luxury private railroad coach for commuting to Bonne Terre. The 13 acre yard included a two mile oval race track to exercise the horses. It was surfaced and included sidewalks, streetlights and fire hydrants. The article also stated that Parsons was born to prominent and influential parents in Vermont. He served as an officer in the Civil War, afterwards entering the mining business in Massachusetts. He became associated with the present St. Joe Lead Company and in addition to his executive duties there, he was chief stockholder of the Mississippi River and Bonne Terre Railway, the Doe Run Lead Company, the Bonne Terre Farming and Cattle Company and the Farmers' and Miners' Trust Company of Bonne Terre. Parsons is said to have died at this estate and the property was then sold to S. Howard Crowe and renamed 'Crowehurst' until it was razed in 1956 for the construction of the Dow Chemical Plant. I wouldn't have minded being among one of his few descendants! If any of them would like to adopt me, I would be more than willing (-; -Kay, FL In a message dated 7/22/2009 12:30:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time, bkwofc@i1.net writes: > Subj: [MOSTFRAN] Descendants of Charles Parsons Pay Homage to Their > Heritage > > Family pays homage to their heritage > Descendants of C.B. Parsons visit Bonne Terre > By T.RESSEL. > Daily Journal, Park Hills, MO, July 22, 2009. > > BONNE TERRE — The great-great-great-great-grandchildren of > Charles “C.B.” Parsons took turns Tuesday ringing the bell > of the Bonne Terre church he founded a century ago. > > Their grandmother, Karen Jackson, one of only six > great-great-grandchildren of Parsons, grew up hearing > stories of Parsons, the St. Joe Lead Company, and Bonne > Terre from her grandmother. Parsons was a founder of Bonne > Terre and was superintendent of the St. Joe Lead Mines > from 1867 to his death in 1910. > > Jackson, who lives in Mississippi, enjoyed hearing the > stories and is fascinated with genealogy. She’d briefly > visited Bonne Terre a couple of times. On Tuesday, she > came back, bringing about two dozen family members > including her husband, children and grandchildren. > > One of their stops was the First Congregational United > Church of Christ which Parsons founded but didn’t live to > see to its completion. > > Her eyes lit up when she saw windows and a wall that had > the Parsons’ name on it. There was a large plaque on an > inside church wall dedicated to Parsons. Many of the > stained glass windows were in his memory or in the memory > of his children or grandchildren. > > According to church history, in 1869 Parsons began > assembling people in an old log building for Sunday school > and worship service. In 1909, Parsons decided to create a > three-fifths replica of a gothic Christopher Wren church > he’d visited in England. > > Jackson’s family learned the church in its beginning was > for the elite — the administrative staff at the mines. > Rev. Sally Ketterer said if they worked underground, they > were not allowed in the congregation. > > Before visiting the church, Parsons’ family was welcomed > to town by city officials and a few members of the > community at the Bonne Terre Memorial Library. During an > informal ceremony, Jackson donated a few family documents > to the library. > > One of those documents was Parsons’ prayer book. Another > was a crumbling document from the early 1900s addressing > the abolishment of slavery. > > The library made copies of other documents, including > pictures and uncashed dividend checks for only a few > cents. Jackson hopes to send the library additional copies > of documents, including letters. > > Jackson had been planning this trip for eight months, > calling it a “family project.” She wanted to show her > children and grandchildren their heritage. > > The Parsons descendants are few. Many died young. Her > grandmother, one of two Parsons grandchildren, lived in > Indiana but had visited Bonne Terre. She died in 1993. > > Through her grandmother, she learned that Parsons was a > kind, generous, down-to-earth and intelligent person who > helped a lot of people. He had originally been a dentist, > Jackson said, but his doctor told him to be outdoors. > > He came out to Bonne Terre in 1867 and revolutionized lead > mining here with the diamond drill. > > She said he became quite wealthy and he spent time in the > summer in a home in Georgia. He “wintered” in Vermont. He > also had a large home near Herculaneum. She brought > pictures of this Riverside home. > > Local Civil War expert, Bob Schmidt, told the family that > Parsons was a veteran of the Civil War. Then living in > Michigan, he enlisted in 1861, eventually becoming a > captain. > > He was a charter member of the Grand Army of the > Republic chapter (for Civil War veterans) that began in > Bonne Terre and moved to Farmington. > > According to “Bonne Terre: The First Hundred Years” by > Robert Blackwell, when Parsons moved to Bonne Terre, there > was only one frame house and about two dozen cabins. > > Schmidt said Parsons was involved in almost every aspect > of the mines from banking to the railroad and the company > store. > > Schmidt said he was also involved with the post office, > the school system, and social organizations like the > Masonic Lodge. > > Besides visiting the library and the church, the family > visited the Shepard House where the Parsons family at one > time lived, the Bonne Terre Cemetery where Parsons is > buried, and the Bonne Terre Mines. ************** What's for dinner tonight? Find quick and easy dinner ideas for any occasion. 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