125-Year-Old Home Captivates Residents In Pana

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Elizabeth Wood

Breeze-Courier Writer

PANA—A bed and breakfast, a restaurant, an event hall, and a bookstore/coffeehouse combination are among the many ideas that have wistfully dominated Pana residents’ conversations as they silently wait with bated breath for someone to purchase the home on 112 Kitchell St. 

The 125-year-old purple and white home was built in 1900 and stands proudly on a corner lot just a few blocks from the Carnegie-Schuyler Library and Walgreens. 

Carol Spracklen, the broker-owner of the real estate agency Carol and Company, is selling the property for the current owner. 

“I’ve sold a lot of properties, but this is just its own unique building. I’d love to see somebody restore this place, you know what I mean?” Spracklen said. 

Mike Cross, the owner of the Pana History Museum, said the home is commonly referred to as the Paddock Mansion and is believed to be built and owned by O. H. Paddock, who founded the Paddock Lumber Company in 1875. 

The Paddock family was one of the prominent families in Pana’s early history. O. H. Paddock was referred to as the ‘original progressive spirit of the City of Pana’ in the book called “Pana Illinois USA, A Busy Industrial Hive of Central Illinois.” 

O. H. Paddock’s great-grandson John Siler, 93, said the Paddock family had about 14 lumber yards during the horse and buggy days. When cars and trucks came into the picture, the lumber yards were combined.

“I grew up in the lumber yard, so to speak, and when I became an adult, I worked there full time. My dad was the manager then; his last name was Siler, and his wife, my mother, was a Paddock, and that’s how he got involved. Then, I ran it for several years,” Siler said. 

Siler added that the company was closed in 1988. 

Besides founding the lumber company in town, O. H. Paddock’s son, Charles Paddock, was among the first residents in Pana to own a car. 

During Paddock’s time, it’s said the home had been built with redwood and housed 18 rooms, a three-story tower with a steeple, and a wrap-around porch. The finished third floor (or the attic) had two living quarters for servants with service bells.

In 1934, Fred and Pauline Stumpf purchased the home and turned it into the Stumpf Funeral Home. During this time, the south side of the wrap-around porch was removed and replaced with concrete steps. The downstairs rooms were converted into a visitation room and a funeral chapel; the second floor was converted into a living area for the family. An elevator was installed in the home and moved from the basement to the attic. 

In the 1940s, the Stumpfs built an addition onto the northwestern side of the home, which was later passed down to Ruth and James Stumpf of Tower Hill. 

In 1975, the Stumpf Funeral Home was sold to John and Sue Dodson, who continued to use the home for funeral services. Then, in 1990, the Dodsons sold the house to Bradley Wood, of Decatur, who had converted the funeral home into a doctor’s office. 

After that, the home passed through a few different owners. Spracklen stated the current owner had sold it to a couple who had wanted to convert the house into a restaurant. However, the couple had left, and the owner is re-listing the home for sale. 

Today, the home has a sprawling 3,814 square feet on all three floors and a basement. The original staircase and two stained glass windows are still intact. The original wood trim is still intact and inside the home, waiting for the right person to return it to its proper place. 

Among the renovations the house has seen over the years, the owner braced the walls and the roof and was in the process of renovating the home before it went up for sale. Additionally, the elevator is still accessible, and the driveway has been heated at one time. 

“It does have a, at one time, heated driveway. I don’t know if that works right now. Of course, it doesn’t work now because there’s nothing turned on, but it had a heated driveway with the carport, so you could pull in and pull out,” Spracklen said. “It’s got a two-car garage. It has an elevator that goes all the way to the third floor too.”

The home recently went viral on Facebook, but Spracklen said she and the owner’s priority is finding the right buyer. She said those interested in the house should ask themselves how much time they’d be willing to put into renovating. 

“Well, if they have the funds to do it, that’s the number one question, and how much time they want to put into it. Most people that rehab homes know when they walk in what it’s going to take because it’s going to take everything. It’s like building a new home with just the shell,” Spracklen said.

For more information, call Carol and Company at (217) 562-5800 or (217) 246-3662. Carol and Company can also be reached via email at Carolandcompany@panarealestate.net