No Title 2881

Supplement to “Amazing Playhouses”

Ada June Thompson, age 75 of Owingsville, submitted her special memories story with photos of the playhouse that her Papa made for her in 1940. And it’s still with her today, sitting her front yard. Here’s her story in Ada June Thompson’s own words:

My friends and I had a great time growing up in Owingsville, Kentucky. We could roller skate on the sidewalks, play “kick the can” under the streetlights, and have carnivals in vacant lots. We were free to walk back and forth from house to house. One of the favorite places was my playhouse.

I was 5 years old and my sister was a baby when the playhouse was built. I would sit in front of the fireplace talking to Papa (John H. Coyle) about what the playhouse would look like. It would be 5 feet wide by 8 feet long with two rooms—a bedroom and a kitchen with a window in each room.

In 1940, Papa talked to a local carpenter, Oscar (Ott) Roberts about our plans. The playhouse was built next to our house on Slate Avenue. After the structure was completed, we put linoleum on the floor, wallpaper on the walls, and ruffled curtains on the windows. Our doll beds went in the front room. The stove, sink, icebox, table, and chairs were added in the kitchen along with cooking utensils and dishes.

It was a busy place! Our friends walked by the playhouse daily to check on the progress and wonder when they could come see it. Even today friends reminisce about the good times we shared.

The original playhouse is presently located in the front yard on my farm. Since my two sons and two grandsons preferred tree houses to playhouses, there is little activity today. Still, the playhouse remains a symbol of my wonderful childhood memories in Owingsville, Kentucky.
—Ada June Thompson

To read the Kentucky Living May 2012 feature that goes along with this supplement, go to Amazing Playhouses.