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She wonders about the history of the home
In Avoca
Dawn McCloskey
When Dawn McCloskey stands in her modern kitchen, she sometimes thinks and wonders about the lives of women who worked there before her.

AVOCA - The village of Avoca just celebrated its 150th birthday and perhaps many residents of the community are wondering about the history of their home.

Such is the case for Dawn McCloskey, who lives near the west edge of the village next to Highway 133. At one time the property was noted for a line of decorative milk cans with letters spending “HELLO”. That changed to “OH HELL” for a time after Morrey Creek flood water surrounded the house and damaged many west side homes.

Dawn, who purchased the property in 2022, says many people have told her the house once served as a stagecoach stop. She has sought more information, including searching the Internet and in person, but cannot verify that possibility.

However, she notes the north side of her house has a door that once led outside to a porch and a set of concrete steps that could have served stagecoach passengers.

She has yet to find the answer to the stagecoach question – but she does know the property has been in family ownership for four generations  – or 80 years.

When she stands in her recently remodeled kitchen she often thinks about the women who worked there before her – Great Grandmother Marie Gumz, starting in 1942, Grandmother Minnie Franklin in 1954 and Mother Carol Wardell in1996. She passed away last February.

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Minnie Franklin
An old family photograph of Minnie Franklin riding a motorcycle indicates she must have had time for some fun.

Dawn does not know when the house was constructed but an abstract notes a man named Patten purchased the land from the U.S. government in 1849 and later sold one-half acre, more or less, to a man named Flint for $50

The Avoca Centennial History Book, published in 1970, notes: “1847 brought a great influx of settlers to the Avoca area, including Asa and Almira Patten.

It must not have been all roses for those early pioneers. The property was sold at a sheriff’s sale in1862 to collect back taxes that totaled $195.

Dawn knows at one time two families occupied the home and grandparents Dan and Minnie Franklin raised 10 children there. Dan had a small woodworking shop in the back yard where he made wood furniture and Minnie commuted to Madison for work. @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-alt:Arial; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}@font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}@font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-font-charset:78; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}