I found the
obituary of Joseph Sparling in the 1908
Republican. I have long wondered why Sparling Avenue was named as it is. I wondered if Sparling had been an important figure. He was one of the first of European descent born in the County. As the map from 1909 shows, he lived along the road that bears his name and I suspect that is why it bears the name.
That land eventually became part of the SJC property. Searching through the
Saint Joseph's College Chronology by Charles Robbins, C.PP.S., I learned that the Eiglesbach property was purchased by the College in 1917. I could not find any mention of a purchase of the Sparling property. However, in 1932 the College purchased the Frank Kanne farm, and that was the land that in 1909 was owned by the the sons of Joseph Sparling. Father Robbins noted, "On the farm were a barn and a frame house across the road from where Bennettt Hall now stands. The farm with the buildings was bought from $15,000. The house became in the year 1953 a student residence known as the "White House". Later it housed an experimental psychology laboratory, but was standing idle at the time it burned to the ground in 1980."
I recall its use as a psychology lab. A professor who stayed only a few years conducted research using pigeons. The building stood south of where the Jasper County Youth Center now stands. Below is a picture that I found in the
1981 College yearbook.
The son of Joseph, Samuel, is mentioned in
this post.
As a student at St. Joseph's College in 1958, I lived in this house for a very brief time before being reassigned to Bennett Hall.
ReplyDeleteJust a side note--- the land labeled Michael Kanne was my great grandfather, a majority of that land excluding Camp Kanne-given to the Boy Scouts-- was "bought" by my grandfather Arthor Kanne-- my father Robert took over in about 1953. It is now my farm Cindy Kanne Wright. Still in the Kanne family!!! Currently farmed by Bruce Saylor.
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