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A View Of Columbus Through Rose-Colored Glasses
This article is dedicated to acknowledging examples of positives that express the community spirit of Columbus – our town.
It all began about 35 years ago. I had started collecting Frankoma Pottery. I would find it at estate sales and antique shops. It was really fun to find it at a garage sale. The collection began with the leftovers of Mamaw’s Frankoma. The dishes were perfect for a ranch house.
She had loved using it as she prepared her wonderful meals that we all loved. Unfortunately, most of her collections had been broken. However, I had enough pieces to start my collection. As Bob and I found pieces, we noted a great discrepancy in prices. I would buy some really cheaply... other pieces for more. As I collected, it occurred that perhaps I could deal in Frankpoma Pottery.
Thus, antiquing as a business began. Consistently, the best bargains were at estate sales. So, the real story begins. I read an interesting ad for an estate sale in Columbus. It was accompanied with a photo of a lovely Victorian home also for sale by auction in the estate.
Since we were traveling through Columbus to Austin on the weekend, we decided to drive by and take a look at the house. As we peeped through the Magnolia trees, the house appeared enchantingly nice. Of course, we decided to really investigate. Our next step would be to visit with locals.
Sunday, on the way home to Houston, we decided to stop and investigate the estate sale. There was no one around except at Boot Hill. There was one table of participants. When asked, they knew nothing about the sale or the house.
However, they suggested that we talk to Roy Cloat and directed us to Cattleman’s Restaurant. We arrived to find that Mr Cloat was not present but expected. After waiting a bit, Roy arrived. He too knew nothing about the house or the sale. However, he offered to call Laura Ann Rau.
He was quite sure that she could help us. Sure, enough enough, she stated that it was a lovely house and that she anticipated little interest in the house auction. She commented that she perhaps might have purchased it. She was encouraging us for our interest.
We arrived early for the estate sale. There were items spread around outside. The house had 2 vacant lots with it. The auctioneer stood on the back kitchen step with the audience below. Bob bid and secured both vacant lots by the house. He then began to bid on the house and secured it.
According to a clause in the contract, the family denied the bid. They invited us inside to discuss the sale. After a bit, an agreement was reached for the purchase of the house. Bob’s “deal” included getting the kitchen butcher block with the house.
The next 4 months were spent on renovation. At Buddy Rau’s request, we welcomed 400 visitors at Home’s Tour Weekend to celebrate the 100th birthday of the house which was built in 1890. The house became a home, and we were delighted to become part of our town’s parade of historic homes. Perhaps another Homes Tour will be planned for the future in Columbus.
