John & Clarissa Roney House
In the northeast corner of this house, on the second floor, is a bedroom with a strange door. The door width has been increased to almost twice its original width because the occupant of this bedroom did not want to be disturbed by noise from other parts of the house while she was composing her novels. The author writing in this bedroom was Ann Chidester, a young woman born in Stillwater in 1918. By the time, Ann, along with her parents, moved to this house in 1946, a national publisher, C. Scribners Sons, had already published her first novel, Young Pandora, in 1942. A New York Times book reviewer summarized the critics general reaction to her first novel written by Ann when she was only 23, by calling her a spiritual heir and successor to Thomas Wolfe._x000D_ _x000D_ While living in this house and writing in her quiet nook, Ann went on to publish five novels and numerous short stories in well recognized magazines before she reached the age of 32. How famous was she? Time magazine reviewed her books; The New Yorker, McCalls, and Colliers magazines bought her short stories. Maxwell Perkins, a legendary editor of the 1940s and 50s called her a friend. It is said luminaries like Sinclair Lewis, Bud Schulberg, and Frederick Manfred attended her publishing parties._x000D_ _x000D_ In 1956, Ann married an Irishman, Dr. John OMeara, and eight years later, the couple was living in California with two daughters. By this time, Anns literary output had dwindled. In 1989, Ann and her husband retired to Ireland, and Ann died in Dublin in 2002._x000D_ _x000D_ This house, with its extraordinary bedroom door, has had only four owners since it was built in 1874 (valued at $840) by a Canadian born-carpenter, John Roney and his Canadian-born wife, Clarissa. The Roney family was quite prolific; by 1880, John and Clarissa had eight children in the house ranging in age from 1 to 18 years old._x000D_ _x000D_ John Roneys daughter, Addie, married Fred Pennington, and they became the second owners of the house. They were followed by the Chidester family, and in 1960 Jim and Shirley Tibbetts purchased the house. In the 1970s, Shirley was one of the Stillwaters pioneers of preservation, and she has carefully maintained her home in most of its original details. The picket fence, for example, has been rebuilt exactly to the pattern of the original fence which is rumored to have been the first picket fence in Minnesota. _x000D_ _x000D_ Like many of the early houses in Stillwater, the structure has been added to over the years. The first part of the house was the north two-story gable end with an exterior door on the second floor, common to many nineteenth century houses. The front porch on this north part of the house was added within a decade. By 1888, a wing has been added on the south side, and by 1904 the wing had its own front porch. In the rear of the house is an old second-generation barn._x000D_ _x000D_ Not only does this historic Stillwater house have most of its original integrity, it was also home to one of Stillwaters most famous residents and her quieting door._x000D_ _x000D_ See also the James Roney house at 510 N.3rd St. and the John F. Roney house at 231 N. Everett St.
John & Clarissa Roney House
In the northeast corner of this house, on the second floor, is a bedroom with a strange door. The door width has been increased to almost twice its original width because the occupant of this bedroom did not want to be disturbed by noise from other parts of the house while she was composing her novels. The author writing in this bedroom was Ann Chidester, a young woman born in Stillwater in 1918. By the time, Ann, along with her parents, moved to this house in 1946, a national publisher, C. Scribners Sons, had already published her first novel, Young Pandora, in 1942. A New York Times book reviewer summarized the critics general reaction to her first novel written by Ann when she was only 23, by calling her a spiritual heir and successor to Thomas Wolfe._x000D_ _x000D_ While living in this house and writing in her quiet nook, Ann went on to publish five novels and numerous short stories in well recognized magazines before she reached the age of 32. How famous was she? Time magazine reviewed her books; The New Yorker, McCalls, and Colliers magazines bought her short stories. Maxwell Perkins, a legendary editor of the 1940s and 50s called her a friend. It is said luminaries like Sinclair Lewis, Bud Schulberg, and Frederick Manfred attended her publishing parties._x000D_ _x000D_ In 1956, Ann married an Irishman, Dr. John OMeara, and eight years later, the couple was living in California with two daughters. By this time, Anns literary output had dwindled. In 1989, Ann and her husband retired to Ireland, and Ann died in Dublin in 2002._x000D_ _x000D_ This house, with its extraordinary bedroom door, has had only four owners since it was built in 1874 (valued at $840) by a Canadian born-carpenter, John Roney and his Canadian-born wife, Clarissa. The Roney family was quite prolific; by 1880, John and Clarissa had eight children in the house ranging in age from 1 to 18 years old._x000D_ _x000D_ John Roneys daughter, Addie, married Fred Pennington, and they became the second owners of the house. They were followed by the Chidester family, and in 1960 Jim and Shirley Tibbetts purchased the house. In the 1970s, Shirley was one of the Stillwaters pioneers of preservation, and she has carefully maintained her home in most of its original details. The picket fence, for example, has been rebuilt exactly to the pattern of the original fence which is rumored to have been the first picket fence in Minnesota. _x000D_ _x000D_ Like many of the early houses in Stillwater, the structure has been added to over the years. The first part of the house was the north two-story gable end with an exterior door on the second floor, common to many nineteenth century houses. The front porch on this north part of the house was added within a decade. By 1888, a wing has been added on the south side, and by 1904 the wing had its own front porch. In the rear of the house is an old second-generation barn._x000D_ _x000D_ Not only does this historic Stillwater house have most of its original integrity, it was also home to one of Stillwaters most famous residents and her quieting door._x000D_ _x000D_ See also the James Roney house at 510 N.3rd St. and the John F. Roney house at 231 N. Everett St.
Posted Date
Sep 27, 2021
Source Name
Heirloom Homes and Landmark
