My Omaha Obsession

Welcome to another installment of This Old Basement.

Here is a funny thingamajiggy in our 1941 basement that has brought much simple pleasure. Many Omahans and Midwestern folks with older homes possess these oddities and I’d love to hear from you. Upon buying this house, this section of the basement was one of my favorite mysteries. Antique skeleton keys suspended on nails, here and there, some attached to small brittle leather cords. This vintage cast iron gas two-burner hot plate is located in a space resembling a kitchen-laundry room. It was either constructed on this interesting secure stand or, perhaps, it was included with purchase. There is no manufacturer's label or serial number that I can find. I have also read that these were utilized as outdoor stoves.

When we purchased the house many years ago, friends and family speculated that this hot plate could have been used to boil water for laundry in the 1940s. In the 1940s, burners in a basement laundry configuration could be used to heat water for washing, particularly to boil whites for cleanliness. Apparently automatic water heaters were not in all households. Other suggestions were that this might be the stove of a summer kitchen for the hot, humid months, as the stove is accompanied by an antique refrigerator and a built-in metal deco kitchen cabinet featuring drawers, doors, (with metal and red handles) and a sink, along with distinct wood cabinets above (seemingly from another set?), adorned with charming cherry red stenciled stars. Oh yes, and there is also a cunning 1940s red can opener attached to the wood cabinet. That whole cabinet combo and the stove feel very early 1940s—perhaps too much information but the 'fridge looks very 1950s or early 1960s. The rumpus room in our basement features a striking cherry red linoleum tile with a splattered design, suggesting an effort to achieve aesthetic cohesion between rooms.

I found early on that two older sisters, both single, were the original owners of this house and lived here together for decades. I was also pleased to find that many people engaged in canning in their 1940s basements and these burners would have come to good use, if my house sisters were indeed canners. A large table would have done the trick. I have also found a gajillion shelves in the basement, built in under the front section of our house where it remains cold all year, just perfect for rows and rows of preserves.

I would love to hear your basement stove stories.

The 5120 Mayberry Street Shingle Style residence was my most cherished property in Omaha. I am still haunted by the beauty. There are few hidden, genuine estates remaining in the town and that is a large part of the ache. This article and the four parts that followed were my first true investigative journal and the one where I naively learned how this town works behind closed doors--the operational dynamics of an owner wanting money, developers with an agenda and the city formulating plans. This article has been getting a lot of traction lately on my website and I am not exactly sure why...but maybe more plans are coming.

Click the link to read what happened back in 2016. Also check out the more than 100 comments from neighbors, new and old and city folks trying to understand why we needed more luxury apartments. We didn't even see what was coming.

https://myomahaobsession.com/2016/03/21/mysteries-of-omaha-5120-mayberry-street/