Cerro Gordo County Iowa
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1581 N. Eisenhower Ave., Mason City IA
Amaziah Cannon, was born in Chautauqua county, New York, September 21, 1819, moved with his family to Wisconsin in 1858,
came to Cerro Gordo county, Iowa, in 1865, and here resided until his death, in February, 1881, in Mason Township.
Mrs. Cannon, whose maiden name was Cornelia Waite, was born in Chautauqua County [Brookfield County as per her
obituary], New York, January 16, 1823,
and is now [1910] living in Mason township. To her and her husband three children were born, two of whom are living, as
follows: Emeline, wife of Willis Dent, of Mason Township; and Etta, wife of Andrew W. Storer of Pleasant Valley Township.
Amaziah Cannon, the son of Stoddard and Polly (Heminger) Cannon, died in 1881. Son Sidney B. Cannon died in 1891, Mason City.
Cornelia was one of the oldest women of Nortern Iowa at the time of her death on June 20, 1921. Amaziah, Sidney and
Cornelia were interred at Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery, Mason City.
The Cannon house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 2004 with this notation:
Significant as one of only three stone houses built between 1860 and 1875, this house, constructed in 1866, is an excellent and rare example of early stone construction applied to residential architecture. The Cannon House, while currently in a state of deterioration, retains a very high level of historic integrity. Contact: Harlan Stille, 641/424-2013.
SOURCES:
Globe Gazette
this old house is getting old …
MASON CITY — This old house needs help. There’s animal scat upstairs and peeling wallpaper. You could probably put your foot through the floor.
Chicken wire prevents an outside wall from buckling.
The limestone house, built in 1866 by Amaziah and Cornelia (Wait) Cannon near what is now the intersection of Twelfth Street Northwest and Eisenhower Avenue, is not a goner yet, however.
The Cannons may still be here, too — along with generations of descendants who held the house and the land with such pride.
“They’re watching over this place,” says RoseAnn Stille, who owns the property with her husband, Harlan. “Why do I say that? Because it’s a happy thought. I’m sure they had many happy times out here.”
The Cannon House is among Mason City’s oldest dwellings. It’s believed to be the oldest dwelling which has not undergone any major alterations, says Terry Harrison, archivist at the Mason City Public Library.
American Indians who camped nearby left arrowheads. The house fronted a main horse-and-buggy thoroughfare. There is a cement post where horses were tethered.
House beams were sawed along the Winnebago River at Randall’s Mill, near Mason City’s original settlement of Masonic Grove.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places during 2004.
“It is quite a historic thing,” says Harlan Stille, whose stepmother was first married to the Cannons’ grandson, Louis Dent. “I kind of hate to see it all fall down. I’ve done about all I can to make it stick around.”
Mason City’s Historic Preservation Commission hopes to preserve the house until extensive renovation can be done.
A steel roof installed years ago has slowed the rotting inside, Harrison says.
The outer walls are crumbling, though, possibly because the mortar is deteriorating.
“They’re going to have to do something,” Harrison says. “I think it’s one of the most important sites in the area.”
But there are no definite plans or renovation timeline.
“There’s been a lot of talking over the last few years,” Preservation Commission Chairman John Groninga says. “We’ve not hit upon a workable way to bring the right group or the right folks together to do something constructive about saving the building. We would certainly welcome plans from people with ideas and money.
“It’s a wonderful building to be able to save as a reminder of another era gone by, and especially a place like that, that has the family ties like it did,” he adds. “But all these projects really need somebody who can effectively spearhead and be very active and spend lots and lots of time at these projects.”
The house was owned by the Dent family until the 1960s, when it was purchased by the Stilles.
Harlan and RoseAnn and their four children lived there for two years during the early ’60s, then built a new house.
This was once the home of Cornelia Cannon, whose grandfather, Pain Wait, fought in the Revolutionary War and lived to 107.
“I think it’s fantastic,” RoseAnn Still says. “And to think that we know some of the descendants and the history of it.
“I would hate to see it torn down. There isn’t too much history left,” she adds. “Everything’s so modern.”
Mason City’s Historic Preservation Commission meets at 4:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month in the second-floor conference room at City Hall.
For information, call Beth Enright at (641) 424-7154 or e-mail benright@masoncity.net.
Globe Gazette
MASON CITY — Members of the Mason City Historic Preservation Commission heard a proposal Thursday to make Scrip Road a historic site.
. . . In other business, the Commission discussed the future of the Cannon House, a limestone house built in 1866 by Amaziah and Cornelia (Wait) Cannon near what is now the intersection of 12th Street Northwest and North Eisenhower Avenue.
Owned by Harlan and RoseAnn Stille, the house is believed to be the oldest dwelling in Mason City that has not undergone major alteration. It is in a dilapidated condition.
“We want to save the house and barn,” Sandahl said.
Grant funding that might be available is not applicable for privately owned properties, she said.
“A non-profit (organization)’s probably going to be the best way to go to save the house,” Sandahl said.
Commissioner Craig Binnebose said he has been in contact with the family and is providing them with information. He said that in four years, the house will have been under ownership by the same family for 150 years. . .
Submission & Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2013
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