As part of our Christmas with no gifts my mom arranged for us to go to Kingman and help with the Bonelli house. We had two days there.
The first day I spent getting acquainted with the history of the home. The kids gave three concerts and sang the songs of Silent night, I am a Child of God, Away in a Manger, and Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer. They did an excellent job. Jake and I had planned to stay overnight in Kingman.
The next day, I gave tours, played piano solos, accompanied the children’s singing, and just really enjoyed myself.
The Bonelli House has a lot of great history to it. The first home was built in just 30 days as a wedding gift to Effie Tarr. They married and lived in the home until in 1915 the home was burnt to the ground. George had gone to the World Fair and learned of electricity. He also bought a clock there for $150.00. This was a substantial sum back in the day. He purchased the clock for his Father in Law who ran the train station. This clock kept perfect time and is rumored to be the only clock in Kingman for a time and a very reliable clock as much of the town revolved around the train station. This clock was saved from the fire as it was at the railroad. It is in the home.
Even as the embers were still hot, George Bonelli was planning his next home. This is the current Bonelli home. The only thing he was able to rescue was his trunk with valuable document in it. The new home was 35 feet square. Every room had an exit except for the master bedroom. It also used a special plaster which was fire retardant. George was a wonderful businessman. He owned jewelry store, mercantile store, and a very large ranch in Chloride.
Effie was a very hardworking woman who was an excellent cook and wonderful homemaker. Music was a very important part of their family. They had nine children and each of them played an instrument.
They have a secret safe in the home behind a wall and some secret chambers my children loved. It was so fun to give the tours of this home.
In Kingman they sent home flyers of the "Bonelli Heirs" arrival and they were open on Saturday just for us. We got special treatment for being Bonellis.
Most importantly my children learned the importance of their heritage. It was an amazing service project for us.
Love
Tam and Gang
No comments:
Post a Comment