Homestead House Became Unhappy Home
Standing on a gently rising ridge in western Johnson County, the Richard and Bridget Daniels house dates from the county’s early settlement. The solid stone walls built by Richard Daniels are a lasting contradiction of the unfortunate history of the Daniels family.
The house reportedly was constructed during the five-year period before September 1, 1869, when Richard Daniels patented his homestead claim. Daniels received homestead certificate number 140 for the northwest quarter of section 25 where the house now stands. According to the present owner, Daniels was a mason who built his own house.
Information about the family was recorded in a divorce petition filed by Bridget Daniels on November 5, 1877. The court granted her petition, finding that the defendant, Richard Daniels, was “a habitual drunkard and has been guilty of gross neglect of duty” for more than two years. The record noted that Bridget had been a resident of Johnson County for more than fifteen years and that the couple had married in 1849 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Bridget Daniels was awarded a generous portion of the family property including the house for “the care, control, education and guardianship” of her six minor children. The oldest son, Ed, had reached legal age, but the rest ranged from nineteen to seven years of age. Bridget Daniels was granted title to the northwest quarter of section 25 (160 acres) while Richard Daniels was awarded only 80 acres. Bridget received “tenements and personal property and also all household and kitchen furniture.”
In 1885 Bridget Daniels sold the property to Andrew Williams of Miami County. After Andres’s death in 1904, his son Robert became the owner. The house and land remained in the Williams family until 1951 when Cecil and Gladys Williams sold the property to Herman and Rowena Plank. In 1970 Rowena Plank Dana, who remarried after Herman’s death, sold the property to the present owners.
The Daniels house is architecturally significant as an example of early vernacular building. It is a symmetrical house with a center gable. The house is distinguished from similar examples by its construction and excellent architectural integrity. A large modern wood-frame addition was built onto the original rear wing.
--ALBUM vol. 8, no. 1 (winter 1995)Identification of significant historic buildings is a goal of the Historic Preservation Survey. The survey is funded in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, a division of the United States Department of the Interior, and administered by the Kansas State Historical Society. Matching funds are provided by a grant from the Johnson County Heritage Trust Fund.
