300 Rugby Avenue.  Information sent by Linda Cady Weikert
          After finding out from another former 300 Rugby resident, Joan Becker Bissell, that the house would be on our September 21, 2008 House Tour
          My parents, Nelson and Harriet Cady, sold the house to Beckers in 1944.  We rented 300 Rugby in 1942 from Maude Ross.  She would not sell it ‘til 1944.  We loved the house, was great for my 3 sisters and me.  I was 10 yrs. old, my sister Dianne, 9 yrs.  We played “dress up” in the attic.  There was a maid’s room up there with a sink in a closet.  My Uncle became sick, had cancer and came there to live in the attic ‘til he died at VA Hospital in Dayton.   
          The 37’ long living room had already been divided and the fireplace in the middle of the well between the pocket doors.  We used the pocket doors all the time, 2 sets, one down by front door and other on the other side of fireplace.  I can even remember using the brass “openers” to pull the doors shut.  The Beckers must have closed them off.  We used the north end for a living room and south end had piano and books.  We had lots of books.  My older sister Lou Ellen who was 18 or 19 then and is 84 now and lives in Boston, asked if the Victorian bathroom had been kept.  It had the footed tub.  Joan Bissell said it was still there!!  My parents had bedroom with the bath and Dianne and I had the other front bedroom.  My 2 older sisters had the other two.  Lou Ellen the middle room and Harriet the back room.  Those two rooms were connected by a door.  WW II was in full swing and Lou Ellen and Harriet both quit Miami U. and went to work at Wright aeronautical, a huge war plant that made plane engines.  They car-pooled with Mr. Sommer. He lived on corner of Yale and Marietta.  His son, Billy, was Dianne’s boyfriend.  Any way Mr. Sommer picked them up very early along with 2 other Terrace Park boys and drove to work.  Lou Ellen said he never bought more than 25 cents of gas at a time and she always thought they would run out of gas.  Lou Ellen was a messenger and wore a pretty blue uniform and walked about 10 miles a day delivering mail and blue prints, made $15.00 a week.  Harriet worked in Blue Print office and had a year or 2 at Miami so made $35.00 a week.  Lou Ellen sold War Bonds and stamps in her uniform too.  She quit went back to Miami, but quit to join the Marines, became a sergeant stayed ‘til WW II ended. 
          Back to house – there was no “powder room” downstairs, only a sink in hall, tucked in the wall of closets.  There was an arbor leading to a big rose garden in front of garage.  Seems to me during War we tried to pen some chickens there in front of garage. After all, Dan Startsman had his horse across the street. 
          The bus from Fountain Square downtown stopped right at the corner of Rugby and Yale.  Wonder if it still does.  Was so easy to get downtown, hop on the bus and Fountain Square was so pretty.  Sorry it is gone.  I remember all the buses lined up there.  We walked or rode bikes to school and we lived pretty far away.  I belong to a Writer’s Group that is connected to the North Shore Genealogical group and I have written a story about Mrs. Susanna Foster, our History teacher and Principal during the War.  Mrs. Foster is worth many stories, best teacher at Terrace Park.  Think now I’ll write a story on Terrace Park.  I had so much fun there.  Joan Bissel reminded me of the Mina Bird, Frankie, we used to go see, so many memories.  I graduated in 1950, was in everything I could get in.  Did all the plays and shows and sports.  Was Captain of the “Red” Team in GAA.  Still have all my “Letters”.  Keep in touch with Marian Vogt – Savage and Ginsel Barnett – Haverstick and several of Newtown girls. 
          Especially remember Halloween, we had 2 nights: the first was Damage Night and then Beggars Night.  During Wartime no one threw eggs or food of any sort, was too scarce.  But we sure soaped windows; we did Startsman’s every year and tipped garbage cans.  A family up on Miami always grilled hot dogs all night for everyone.  Hugh and Dennis McKee, Jack and Steve Jordan and Irwin Barber kept our one policeman busy; they called themselves “The Black Cats”.  Us girls followed them when possible to see what mischief they were into.  But no one seemed to get arrested!!
          I’ll enclose a picture of 300 Rugby from 1943.  Our 2 bikes are out front.  If you can tell they’re boys bikes.  During War couldn’t get any bikes so our Science teacher Mrs. Shakelford gave us her two sons’ bikes they had out grown.  Never liked that they were boys, but was so glad to get a bike.  The picture of my sister Dianne and Marian Vogt is taken in side yard out front of 300 Rugby.  The picture of 3 of us is in front of Miami dorm in Oxford, my sister’s dorm.  This is same age we all lived at 300 Rugby. 

300 Rugby Avenue (information from 2008 House Tour)
           This is another home where it’s very difficult to determine when it was built.  The Auditor says 1880 and, in this case, we’re using that date for now.  1896 is another possible building date.  The present owners believe their house originally looked similar to 303 Oxford (1½ stories) with 4 rooms downstairs and pocket doors into the two rooms on the left side with a center hallway.  One can still see in the cellar the foundation of the two fireplaces angled into the two left hand rooms similar to what is still in 303 Oxford.  One can see a picture of this original house in the background of a picture of 303 Rugby when it was being built.  The 1912 picture of 300 Rugby shows the home expanded both up and our (2½ stories).  There are now two foundations in the cellar.  Above that is a long living room on the left, dining room and kitchen on the right.  We can’t explain the 1914 date in the cement cellar floor since it’s obviously after the home was expanded.  The Rockels moved what may have been the original back wall of the house forward on the right to form their kitchen and dining room.  One interesting feature of the present house is that the presumably center front door is actually off center, probably caused when the house was expanded out to the right side. 
           Looking at the deeds of 303 Oxford and 300 Rugby just makes for more confusion.  There are many recognizable names and times when one might guess something might have been built or changed but there’s nothing for sure.  Sanborn Fire Insurance maps do not seem to exist for this property in the early days.  What conclusions can you reach? 

300 Rugby Avenue – points of interest on 2008 House Tour)
          1) First floor used to be 2 rooms on the left – each with pocket doors and service from a triangular fireplace.  On the right hand side of the entrance was a large parlor, with most likely a kitchen immediately behind it. 
          2) In the basement the triangle shaped fireplace foundation still stands.
          3) In the basement at the back of the current house, “A. F. Chapman 1912” and Albert Schmid” are stamped into the concrete floor. 
          4) An addition was made in around 1910 expanding the house on the Yale side around 5 feet, extending the back of the house about 12 feet and making the 1½ story home into a 3 story.  In the basement there are 2 foundation walls on the Yale side, each with its own set of windows.
          5) The 3^rd floor was unfinished, except for a servant’s room and attached powder room, until the Mills’ remodel. 
          6) There was a widow’s walk on the flat roof, and access to this was made by a narrow iron ladder (on display on the 3^rd floor). 
          7) Original large parlor on the right was turned into a dining room and small den in the 1970s.  Current house took the “den” space and merged it into the kitchen.
          8) Toilet in 1^st floor powder room is original to the house.  Trenton Pottery Works toilet, circa 1902-1910??  Current owner found a matching Trenton Pottery Works sink online for the room. 
          9) Claw foot tub from the same bathroom as original toilet was moved to the 3^rd floor bathroom.
          10) Master bedroom at one point consisted of two bedrooms (doorframe and room divider found during remodel) most likely to match the two rooms across the hall. 
          11) New windows installed to match original one, on 2^nd and 3^rd floors.
          12) Coal chute still remains in the basement. 
          13) The cistern discovered under what is now the mudroom.
          14) House has 2 septic exit lines – each from the 2 major construction times (1880[?] and 1910)
          15) The “hipped” foursquare roof is blue-green slate.