Bob Piper's Corner - June 21, 1987

June 21, 1987

A lady from Maine wrote asking where Daisy Hosey’s shop was. It seems when she was a child her mother worked there. She remembered the store as a variety store of sorts. It was just that, and it had two locations. First, it was where the Elite Shoppe was, in a wooden building. After a time there, her shop was moved west to where the parking lot of Central Savings is now. She was a very colorful person and a good United Presbyterian of the old church.

A man from Satanta, Kansas, writes asking where was the office of the Chariton Leader located before becoming a partner of the Herald-Patriot. It was where Hixson Photo is now, and was edited for years by Henry Gittinger, a man who was able to keep the public at this throat most of the time. He was a fiery orator and loved to debate any question of a public nature.

Paul Henry wrote from Peoria saying his father played a lot at Darlington Heights. This was the estate of Darlington Copeland, and was east of town on Auburn, just west of where the water treatment plant is now. This estate is owned now by Judge Morr and the old barn still stands up on the hill. The old house is long gone, but it was very nice with all walnut woodwork. This estate was one of several in this area.

The Baker estate was west of Darlington Heights and bordered Chariton city limits. This estate was 235 acres in size, and the 40 acres where the house stood was really a well-cared-for park. People were welcome to walk the paths and see the pond with goldfish. A large apple orchard was one of the attractions because of many varieties, and the grafted trees bearing several varieties on one trunk.

Across the road south, up on the hills, were the Palmer and the VanArsdale estates, along with others. This was beautiful rolling hills country and was at its height around 1910. With the coming of the Rock Island Railroad, this area seemed to be separated from the rest of Chariton and became more or less farming country.

Several people have asked where the Chariton Business College was and who operated it. It was in a house located at the corner of 13thand Braden and was owned by Miss Myra Dungan. She was the daughter of Colonel Dungan, a one-time Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, who lived in Chariton. Many older persons got their business education at this college.