November 5, 1955 402 North School Street

November, 1955

 Dear Mother & Daddy,

"The house is ours!  I intended to write you the minute we closed the deal but we haven't had a free minute.  We were called about noon on Wednesday and met all the other people involved at 3:00 that afternoon.  It took about an hour to do the paperwork.  By the time we left the bank it was raining, snowing, and sleeting.  We wanted to go take a look at the house then but it was getting late and I had to get supper and clean the house before company came.

The envelope with Grandmother's notation

Last night we had our big P.T.A. meeting which we helped plan.  It was a huge success.

Saturday Evening Post, Oct., 1955

 I have spent today working at the new house.  It had been empty for almost 6 months so there was lots of lint and dust.  I took the sweeper and went over all the walls and ceilings.  I'll have a stiff neck tomorrow.  The bedrooms (walls) need to be washed but I'm going to try to clean the worst parts and let it go.  The floors are lovely so I want to clean and polish them before we put rugs down.  We are all anxious to be moved and plan to move next week sometime.  Our address from now on will be:

                                          402 N. School St.
                                          Normal, Ill.

That was real nice of Mamie to answer your card.  I think I'd brag about it a little.

We are all fine and anxious for you all to come to see us."

                       Lots of love,

                               Bonnie

NOTE:  I knew that my grandmother had written to Mamie Eisenhower, but I haven't seen the card she received from Mamie, and don't know where it might be.  I'm looking.

Our parents would live in the house on School Street until the late-80's at which point they moved up the street a few blocks.  Weary of the noise and disruption from the growing number of university fraternities and student rooming houses taking over the neighborhood, it seemed the prudent thing to do.  I recently contacted a friend to see if he could go by the School St. house and take a picture of it for the blog, but I was too late.  The week before, it had been demolished and construction had begun on more student housing. 

The fall of '55 was a busy time, but for Halloween, our mom made us paper masks from patterns she had ordered.  I still have the patterns and wish I had the wonderful masks!  It was a wet and cold Halloween so I suspect they didn't survive much longer than a night or two.