Prairie-Lakes Journeys from a Two Spirited View: Faribault Weaver Family and Community Limestone Home 1943- 1953

In 1943 Paul H and Margaret G Weaver purchased this home on windy hill "Tate Paha" in Faribault MN. A fading Kodacolor print, captures the east side of the limestone home, built by a French Canadian Miller in the 1870's. Note the side porch and the trellises on either side of the bay window. Today, Halloween of 2014, thinking of how big this place was to grow up in and to share with others, as my parents were quite socially involved in Faribault during these years.

1945 - 425 SW 3rd St, Faribault. View looking southeast from corner of NW 3rd St and 5th Ave. Interesting to see the sizes of the trees. The Colorado Blue spruces and what appears to be a weeping or river birth between the 1st and 2nd spruces. And the larger Norway Spruces, perhaps planted by the Carufels in the 1870's.

Labeled 1945 by Peg Weaver, here are Jim with holster and Jack, barefoot on the winding stairway of the Weaver spacious family home in Faribault. p24 of Family album by PHW

Labeled Spring 1949 by Peg Weaver, here are Jack, Jim and Tom Weaver on the living room floor. Anagrams, Dominoes . p56

1949, p 56 Jack, Tommy (Tom), Davey (David) and Janey (Jane) Agerter playing on living room floor. Ken Agerter appears to be sitting the chair behind, with legs crossed. By PHW

In 1949, here at the Weaver Boys in costume for Halloween, Jack age 6, Tom age 2 and Jim age 9 in the Faribault living room in front of the fireplace. Page 56 from P-P Family Album

1949 blurry snap shot of Boys Tom in hat Jim in back and Jack right as clowns. Halloween by PHW p56

1950 Jim, Jack and Tom, with Dr "Charlie" Charles Robilliard, who was doing magic tricks in the living room. Dr Robilliard was a partner in the medical practice with my dad and C Walter Rumpf above Payant Drug Store in downtown Faribault at this time.

Halloween Traditions at 425 SW 3rd Street

From Peg Weaver's memoir p 67:

"The most sewing-fun I had was making Halloween costumes. For Jim I concocted a Canadian Mountie based on Pete's army campaign hat, making a bright red, percale jacket and a black oil-cloth belt and holster. Jack was Robin Hood, carrying a bow and arrow, and wearing green-dyed, long underwear pants, a sleeveless, crenulated, percale jacket and a hat with a feather. I thought that Tom was too young to require anything impressive, so he was a ghost wearing the customary white sheet."

Halloween 1950 Gary Heath, next door neighbor in Devil costumer. Jim Weaver as a Canadian Mountie.

Jack Weaver as Robin Hood, page 70, P and P Album 1950.

Halloween 1950 Tom Weaver as ghost.

Shattuck School, Civic Music Connections in the Faribault Home

My parents were involved with the Cathedral as the families home church, as Peg describes their choice coming into Faribault in 1939, with their traditions in Ohio being different. P 42-3 Rememberings of a 83-year old grandma p42-43

"Accompanying the Fosters to the Episcopal Church I found the services to have much more ritual and to be very different from what I was accustomed to in the Presbyterian Church: kneeling benches, communion at the altar from a common cup into which a wafer was dipped, recitation of the Apostles Creed, a choir processional and recessional. In the Presbyterian church, grape juice (not wine, which was sinful) was served in individual, tiny glasses, passed down the rows of the congregation on trays with small round compartments holding the glasses. The empty glasses were placed in a small rack on the back of the pew in front. Instead of wafers, a tray, heaped with one-inch cubed, sweetish bread, was passed. Choir members did not reach their places with a processional, but unobtrusively entered from the adjoining choir room. Because the Agerters and several other of our new friends were members of the Episcopal Church, we became members. There was no Presbyterian Church in Faribault and the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, Pete's affiliation in West Carrollton, was too narrow-minded and fundamentalist for our liking I think that Dr. Rumpf might have been influential in our decision, too, since he was very active in the Episcopal Church and was the physician for the Episcopal schools, where he might ask Pete to substitute him.
When we joined the church, Vesper Otmer Ward was its Dean. Following him were: Charles Allen (Before becoming a minister, he had worked for the Bell Telephone Company and, during the war. installed a phone for Kate and Stella Cole, two crusty, Episcopalian old maids of the prestigious Cole family, Kate referring to the common people of Faribault as peasants.), Canon Herb Morris, John Littleford, John McNaughton, and Curate Karl Bell (whose bedroom furniture was delivered to the to church choir room prior to his marriage). We were soon drafted for the church choir where we were faithful members for many, too, too many years, through the directing of Dwight DeLong, Dave Homing, Marie Levering (with loud, inaccurate foot-pedalling), Nan Nichols (who termed our singing "sweet" and made us practice the hymns endlessly) and Jan Schuehle (so superior to the others in directing, choice of anthems and organ playing). The volunteer choir members were a varied lot in singing ability, from Don Majors, who was superb, to Hugh Fitch, who tried hard, to Bess Lindberg who "sang" loudly but was tone deaf. The music we performed was gauged by the abilities of the choir directors and members, from rather corny cantatas to Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors under the direction of Jan Schuehle. Annual singing for several services at Christmas and Easter Seasons became a chore. "