Maplewood, historic house in Missouri, United States
Maplewood is a brick house built in 1877 and located in Columbia, Missouri, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The two-story structure displays Italianate architectural features including arched windows, decorative moldings, a projecting bay window, and a railed balcony, with bricks fired on the property itself.
The house was built in 1877 by Slater Ensor Lenoir and his wife Margaret Bradford Lenoir, after Slater, who arrived in Missouri as an infant, participated in the California Gold Rush as a young man. The building underwent expansions in the early 1900s, with enclosed sleeping porches added in 1891 and an octagonal wing constructed, while modern conveniences were gradually incorporated.
The house sits within a grove of sugar maple trees that inspired its name and reflects the family's connection to the land. Visitors can observe how the farmstead functioned as a working center, with separate buildings organized for different daily tasks and purposes.
The house is open for guided tours from April through October, with visits lasting up to two hours for a modest fee. Visitors meet at the History and Culture Center and walk through the park to reach the building, though be aware the historic structure has limited accessibility due to its age.
The house was originally fitted with speaking tubes, small tube systems that allowed residents to communicate between rooms, a feature visitors can still observe today. These communication devices were a practical solution for large homes before electricity and telephones became common.
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