RETAINS VICTORIAN CHARM: GOECKEL HOUSE HAS SEEN MANY USES

ORIGINAL MANTLE: This magnificent brick and wood mantle, with wrought iron summer door, is original to the Goecke House. Jackson USA Signal/Mark Evans

"RED" LIGHT?: This naughty novelty came from Pauline's of Bowling Green, Ky., reported to be one of the oldest business establishments of its type. Jackson USA Signal/Mark Evans

These two ornate lights are also original to the house, according to Vicki Abernathy, who has owned it since 1993. Jackson USA Signal/Mark Evans

(Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of features on historic homes in or near Jackson.)

Despite a few alterations over the years, one can still experience the turn of the century elegance enjoyed by the Goeckel family in the early days of their fine brick home at 105 E. Washington.

Now owned by John and Vicki Abernathy, the three-story Queen Anne is the only surviving historic home on the courthouse square of Jackson.

"I feel very fortunate to live in this house," said Vicki Litzelfelner Abernathy, a lifelong Jackson resident and queen of the 1965 city sesquicentennial. "For progress, or for whatever reason, we have lost a lot of historical homes in this town. The jail over there, when that was built, took away an old home."

Built about 1908, the house sits on Plot 1 in Jackson. A triple-pile brick structure with a dirt-floored basement, the old home is quiet.

"Lots of traffic goes by here, yet it's very quiet," Abernathy said. "A lot of people say to em 'I don't know if I'd like to live uptown or not, with all the traffic.' We don't hear it."

About the only noises that infiltrate the brick walls are the construction sounds of the new county archives center and the new jail.

Abernathy has done some research on the house, which she and her husband purchased in 1993.

"It was built the same year as the county courthouse (1908)," she said. "The Goeckel family were the original owners. He owned the livery stable next door. He and his wife later turned it into a boarding home for single school teachers. They were big entertainers. In the summers the teachers would serve lunches here. There were two kitchens."

The Victorian home also contained a butler's pantry (since converted into a bathroom) and a dumbwaiter in the dining room.

One of the most eye-catching attributes is the original brick parlor fireplace, with a wrought iron summer door (similar to one in the Oliver House) to keep birds out. The parlor light and dining room light are originals.

A set of pocket doors still separate the parlor from the rest of the house -- although the parlor has since been split, with part being converted to a bedroom.

The old home has undergone a number of uses over the years. This has led to several changes from the original Victorian floor plan. Much of its life has been spent as a doctor's office. Dr. Walter Hutton was the last physician to work out of the house.

"Dr. Hutton lived upstairs and practiced downstairs," Abernathy said. "Then he switched. There was a double-wide staircase that he removed then, and replaced it with an elevator. I've heard it was a beautiful, beautiful staircase."

Half of the wooden staircase remains, leading down to the gleaming oak floor on the landing below. John Abernathy removed carpet that had been in place for decades, then stripped and refinished the wood.

Abernathy, who is fighting diabetes, is quick to point out that the house would not have been practical for them to buy without the elevator.

The spacious house is filled with her varied collections, including Jackson historical memorabilia. This includes a commemorative plate from the first Homecomers, in 1908, and the last bottle of Milde's cream soda ever produced. Local doctors used to prescribe it to patients with stomach problems, rather than Seven-up.

She also has a "Fifties Kitchen" and a room upstairs, both packed with mementos of the 1950s and 1960s, including Beatles, Elvis and other musical momentoes.

Antique furniture includes a dresser, passed down from her grandmother, and a number of antique clocks. Another unique collectible -- which Abernathy is almost hesitant to mention -- is an ornate antique lamp. The lamp came from Pauline's, an establishment in Bowling Green, Ky., considered one of the nation's oldest bordellos.

Pieces with a less spicy history include the original dining room and parlor lamp sconces, a setae from her great aunt (Bess Litzelfelner, Jackson's first librarian), old clothes and photos from the Litzelfelner family, and a large collection of children's Golden Books.

Eventually, Abernathy hopes to turn the huge attic into a studio. She managed to obtain a number of original theater seats from the historic Esquire Theatre in Cape Girardeau, which she intends to incorporate into the design.

She has found the varied collections fit in well with the wallpaper and other Victorian touches she has added.

"We've tried to keep the decoration like it was back in the early days of the house. I have a collection of German antiques and my husband likes old clocks. We really like Victorian things, so it really lends itself well to this house.

The Abernathys found the historic home in sound condition when they bought it in 1993.

"We didn't have to do anything structural at all when we moved in," Abernathy said. "The ceiling had been lowered. We raised them back up to 10 feet."

The house, which still has radiator steam heat, has had just four owners.