The Lucas Countyan

This wonderful old abandoned house southwest of Keosauqua is very similar to, although I'd say smaller than, the Isaiah Meek home on the river road at the west edge of Bonaparte. I'd be willing to bet they were designed and built by the same hands. Note the elaborate backeted cornice. The front porch, now missing, apparently went through two encarnations before being torn away. Originally, it was flat or very sligtly pitched, like the porch still in place on the Meek home. Later, the roof was reconfigured to a steeper pitch and at that time the sill of what had been a door opening onto the porch roof was raised above the roofline, a new sill installed and what appears to be part of the original door cut down to fill the opening. The semicircular light above the original door seems to be intact. Note, too, that modern windows have been placed in the original openings north of the front door. This is the home's east front.