A Dream House Fit for a Kingery
By: Ruth Jennerjahn, Sinuard Castelo, Stephen McCollum; Photos by Don L. Rogers
A lot of people have driven past the historic Leonard House at 507 South Walnut Street. A lot of them no doubt had fleeting dreams of what it might be like to live there.
Bob Kingery was one such person, whose first view in his pre-teen years happened as his family traveled to and from Muncie and their lake cottage near Columbia City.
“It was very unusual, stately, and that ornate wrought iron fence really made it stand out, gave it an aura of aloofness,” he said. He started telling his mother that one day he would own that house.
That “one day” stretched into decades. The Kingerys were retired to Arizona and in 2019 as they drove east to visit Lori’s family in Vermont, they stopped here to see Bob’s daughter, Tammy Pearson, who lives near Montpelier. There was a For Sale sign in front of the 1883 landmark built by John Peter Augustus Leonard.
Now that the dream is reality, Kingery has no regrets because he came into it “eyes open.”
“In a house as old and big as this one, there’s always going to be something that needs attention,” he said. “The previous owners did a fine job of basic upkeep.”
The original seven-foot high double-hung windows with wooden casings and frames had to be replaced for energy efficiency. The house has four fireplaces that were originally used as a source of heat. One was modified to accommodate the hot water boiler heating system. The Kingerys have outfitted three of them with gas logs and hope to complete the process with the fourth. The interior woodwork exemplifies craftsmanship rarely seen now in the residential building trade.
John P. A. Leonard was born in France and immigrated to the U.S. with his parents when he was an infant. The Leonards migrated west into Ohio and then to Wells County, where John grew into his teenage years. A highly respected and influential businessman, he owned a drugstore in Montpelier, served as assistant cashier at Citizens State Bank, treasurer at Johnston Glass, and was elected to the office of County Auditor.
He married Susanna Arnold and they had six children—Albert, Clara, Emma, Lettie, Nettie, and John. In the 1920s, Lettie operated a tea room in the house, serving lunches for small groups and private parties during the week and a public luncheon on Sundays. John and Susanna Leonard died in 1913 and 1923, respectively. Lettie and her brother John, later joined by widowed sister Nettie, lived in the house through their adulthood. All three died in the 1960s.
Lowell Peacock, a local grocer, bought the house in 1972. He operated a fresh produce stand on the front lawn during growing season, which many current residents remember.
Bob, an accounting major at Ball State University, worked for United Airlines in Chicago and then moved to California where he continued his career in the travel industry. He met Lori there. She was involved at one stage of her career with the design and development of the online travel resource Expedia. They retired to Arizona. It was from there that the fateful excursion through Hartford City in 2019 put them Back Home Again, in Indiana for good.
“We’re enjoying it a lot,” Bob said. “However, the pandemic has really hampered our ability to get engaged socially in the community, so we’ve been limited so far to mostly over-the-backyard fence friendships.”
The Kingerys are aware that their new old home holds a lot of fascination in the public’s mind, just as it did when Bob was a youth. After Don Rogers posted a photo of the house on Facebook, a local resident commented: “I’ve lived in Hartford City 50 years and always wanted to see inside that house!”
“It’s an interesting old place and we understand that people are curious about it,” said Bob. He said he frequently went out to chat with the workers as South Walnut Street/Highway 3 was under construction this fall. “To a person,” he said, “they all wanted a tour of the house.”
Bob Kingery has lived and worked in one of America’s major cities, one of its most populous and prosperous states, and one of its magnets for retirees. He knows that the historic Leonard house is special and can’t be replicated as Blackford County continues its quest to rebound from hard times. But he’s hopeful that this tangible bit of history can continue to inspire the community to translate pride in the past into a passion for the future.
NOTE: TO SEE A COMPREHENSIVE ALBUM OF PHOTOS, GO TO DON L. ROGERS PHOTOGRAPHY ON FACEBOOK.
What an amazing story and testimony of a historic home that has survived the depletion of HC and now it is seeing the restoration of the city I grew up in.
Thank you for the wonderful article on the Leonard home, I’m sure there will be much interest in this beautiful old mansion . Is it possible that Don has taken more pictures of the home that we can view, on this site.
Bob and Lori are true blessing to the community. Their labor of love in restoring this treasure is a testament to their love for Hartford City.
Thank you for this story! My grandparents used to live next door and I have a million childhood memories of daydreaming about this house! And I can’t thank you enough for the confirmation of one of my memories…..I used to drive by that house as an adult and ask myself if we ever bought vegetables there!? And I thought I was crazy! It made me smile to read there used to be a summer market there! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!
I would just like to point out the twenty five years in which the home was lovingly restored and furnished by Nance and Bob Buchert. Their heartfelt care brought the home back from decay and they raised their two lovely daughters there. When one discusses the provenance of a historical property, all inhabitants and their labor should be recognized and recorded. As I recall, the home was purchased with furnishings and finishes in place. It’s a lovely home but give credit where credits due- the Buchert Family were the caretakers for twenty-five years.
I have always lived in Hartford City and have always thought what would it be like to live in a mansion. I love this beautiful house and I am so glad to see pictures of someplace I have wondered about for so many years. Thank you for sharing your pictures and knowledge.
Beautiful home. I went to school with a guy who lived there his name was I believe Steve Peacock. I always loved that house I never got to see the inside though. Always wondered
I’ve always called this the Peacock Mansion because I didn’t know its full history and wondered what it would be like to live there.
Bob & Nance Buchert did an extraordinary restoration and detailed painting of the complete exterior also. Thank you Buchert’s for the love you poured into this stately home~
Back in the 60’s I delivered the newspaper to that house. When collecting they always had me come in the main door. Walk thru the front room take a left into the kitchen and out thru the kitchen door. They were nice older people but I was always a little scared. I have had reaccuring dreams of that house thru the years but I must say the people never did anything wrong it was like a haunted house scared little boy situation. The house was fantastic but haunted in my dreams.
Karen Ronald and Heather Buchert. You are absolutely right. The Kingerys would be the first to praise the Bucherts for all the work they did, so lovingly and so carefully. I understand that Bob Buchert is a true Craftsman and did not hire the restoration work, but did it carefully and skillfully himself. The woodwork is especially impressive to me. It is 140 years old, but Bob made it look like new. Thank you, Bucherts for all the work you did.
I went to school with a guy (Steve Peacock) always wondered what it would be like to live in this beautiful home….always wanted to see inside. I remember when they sold vegetables inside the front fence. At that time I was a teenager not thinking about buying them but was pretty neat. Thank you for sharing your pics and information…
I grew up on the corner of high and leornard street. I remember going in that house as a child, it was beautiful but scary because it seemed like a maze to me. I got lost in it, but the older people that lived there were very nice. I dont remember if it was any of the leonard family or not but I know it wS before the peacocks bought it.
Love the house also. I was born and raised there in Hartford. Always saw the house and I always wanted to see the basement, if there was one. Always heard there was underground tunnels. Not sure obviously, I never been inside. I LOVE old fashion stuff and love hearing the history behind things. But I GITTA know, are there under ground tunnels?
What an outstanding house, with such great history and now in the hands of very appreciative people. Congratulations to Bob and Lori for restoring a bit of Americana.