Although rather haphazardly furnished, the Mill does possess Uncle Stan’s mid-century modern office furniture: the uncomfortable couch, the more uncomfortable couch, and the completely uncomfortable upholstered chair.  The twin beds upstairs with the pineapple bed posts are from the Abeles family home in Leavenworth.

 

For more on the Abeles Family click here.

 

The large etching of strange little tree people is by June Claire Wayne. The dining room chairs were decorated by Jake and his friend Peter when they were around 12. There is also quite a lot of ancient cookware, some from Aline and overpriced in second hand stores, and some relatively attractive mid-century enamelware.  Martha was very into mid-century. I do believe that Peter Kolker’s hi-fi (what is that?) is still there; and tucked into one of the cabinets is a pressed glass punch bowl and glasses that belonged to Fanny Grayson, the Block’s maid who worked for Aline until Jean married in 1941, whereupon Fanny came to work for her and outlived both Jean and Sam.  Fanny disapproved of anyone who encroached on the Block House, all of whom she classed as “Johnny and Them.”  But I digress.

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Most unfortunately many of the antiques and memorabilia at the Block House were stolen one winter in the late 70’s.  Recently I found out that Larry Ferry passed Mill Pond in the dusk that snowy evening and noticed a truck in the driveway but did not stop to investigate.  Aunt Jean was upset about the loss of her mother’s double boiler, rosewood desk, cut glass relish tray, and of course the Maria Popova plate that is now worth around $12,000 but was bought by Aline in Santa Fe in the early 30’s probably for 25 cents.  Oh, well.  There are lots of interesting books left, such as an old history of Walworth County, along with: the big dark mahogany ‘secretary’ that belonged to Uncle Morris from Leavenworth; the double bed from Leavenworth that would not fit up the stairs at the Mill so Uncle Sam and Uncle Stan (neither of whom was noted for nostalgia, or much of an aesthetic sense) cut off the headboard.  Now it is in the Block ‘Pond Bedroom.’ Notable among the Block House memorabilia are the cover for the Mill grinding wheel, which is in the basement, and a smaller wheel on the mantel; the butcher block and poster of the cows from World War 1 that Aunt Jean bought when Sawyer’s Meat Market closed; the mosaic tile table (living room) that Aunt Jean made in the potting studio in the old icehouse where the Rec Hall is now. (Martha made one also, in the Friedberg living room), and the fragment of a wool rug that says ‘numquam iterum’, meaning ‘never again’ which does not refer to the Holocaust, but to the fact that one summer Aunt Jean had undertaken to make a hooked rug that took about 8 years to finish.  Alas, it was mostly ruined one winter when the roof leaked.  Most important is the fireproof filing cabinet in ‘Fanny’s Room’ – the small room in the Hilton Wing, so named by Aunt Jean when she had it built, because it was so ‘fancy’ – that contains many photograph albums, including ones of Simon Abeles and the Leavenworth family, ancestors of the Friedberg branch, Block photos, and letters from Stanton Sr. to Aline during World War 1; and between Jean and Sam during World War 2; and some from the children and grandchildren from Leavenworth; and much more, a treasure trove for genealogists.  The bust of Aunt Jean (in the Hilton bedroom) is by Robert Jay Wolff who probably had a crush on her.

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Art work in the Friedberg porch includes: a braided fabric necklace by Claire Zeisler (a friend of Martha’s and a famous fabric artist); several Santa Clara black pottery pieces, some signed by descendants of Maria Popova; an eclectic collection of African art; two pieces by Marilee Asher (second wife of Martha’s oldest brother Bob, who recovered from both the 1918 and the 2020-21 pandemic!) one that looks like a pretzel, the other like an angel.  Upstairs in the master bedroom the dresser is from Leavenworth, the filing cabinet contains Mill Pond and Friedberg records, and two huge plastic bins in the closet include among other things Stanton Sr.’s medical records.  The hanging over the bed consists of patches made by Mill Ponders for Aunt Martha’s 50th birthday. Artwork in the halls and bedrooms includes a piece by Elise Asher, Martha’s sister; a couple of paintings by Rainey Bennett, a Chicago artist who lived on Dorchester and was a friend of both families; two Gertrude Abercrombie paintings in the back rooms.  I recall that Abercrombie lived on Dorchester also; both she and Rainey Bennett used to sell their work at the Hyde Park Art Fair in June, but Abercrombie has become valuable, while Rainey Bennett is still languishing among the also-rans of Midwest art.  Both Aunt Jean and Aunt Martha knew Abercrombie, and bought her art to support her, some of which they gave to Aunt Lou. Uncle Stan’s piano is in the back bedroom. There is another archive in the filing cabinet in the little bedroom facing the Boys Bunkhouse.