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Smith Restores Home For His Big Elephants
Mike Smith, East School
teacher and a Kings Mountain
native, always dreamed of
renovating an old house and
when he saw the “for sale” sign
at 303 East King St. he couldn’t
resist going in and browsing
around.
That was in July when the
young bachelor bought the
former M.L. Houser home, built
in 1909, by Mrs. M.L. Houser,
now of Ruffln, and the late Mr.
Houser. Mrs. Houser, a former
school teacher, converted the
two-story frame house into a
boarding house after her hus
band died during the depression
years. Many newlyweds in Kings
Mountain started their mar
riages in an apartment in the
Houser home, one of the first
homes constructed along U.S. 74
East when U.S. 74 was a dirt
road. Mr. Houser operated a
cash and carry grocery store and
when he and his bride built the
house there was water but no
sewage and electrical services.
The Houser children are
PrueNell (Mrs. M.C.) Poston of
Kings Mountain, Mrs. Edna
Ruth Saunders of Kings Moun
tain, LeRhyne Houser of
Goldsboro, Mrs. Viola H. Stokes
of Ruffin, and Joe Houser of
Tucson, Arizona. All the
children but Mrs. Poston were
born in the house. Mrs. M.L.
Houser, 94, moved to Ruffin to
make her home with a daughter
several years ago and was reluc
tant at first to sell the home
which held for her so many
memories. Edna Rhyne and
M.L. Houser were married in St.
Matthew’s Lutheran Church,
Jan. 29, 1907.
Smith’s reason for buying and
renovating the house interested
Mrs. Houser because she also lik
ed to collect the unusual and
Mike wanted to open “Mike’s
Big Elephants”. No, he doesn’t
collect elephants but offers the
community a place to bring
handmade crafts and antiques,
any of their “old elephants
around the house they don’t
want” and offer them to the
public on a consignment basis.
“My folks always accused me
of collecting anything and taking
what they termed ‘old elephants’
that not^y else wanted”, ex
plained the young man who has
been collecting and refinishing
furniture for his house for over a
year. Furnished with antiques
and turn-of-the century fur
niture, the first floor of the
house has been renovated to re
tain the classic beauty and
period of the house in earth
tones with wallpaper accents of
colonial provincial red to match
the trim on the gray two story
dwelling. The entry hall, which
is 25 feet long, is especially
beautiful with the floral printed
wallpaper used above the
wainscoating and also around
the mouldings in the living
room. The filigree griilwork in
the hall and the original pine
floors, which have been refinish
ed, are highlights. Mike’s aunt,
Mrs. Etta Parton, his mother,
Mrs. Eunice Smith, and students
in the Home Economics Depart
ment at KMSHS helped in
decorating and making the
beautiful provincial red drapes
which pick up the color in the
wallpaper in the first floor
rooms. A 70-year-old friend
helped Mike paint the house.
The interior is painted colonial
white with accents of colonial
provincial red. And there is a
fireplace in every room, which
Mike plans to use this winter,
and woodstoves in the bedroom
and kitchen.
Ionic greek columns on the
front of the house attest to its
age and Mike says he has not
changed the design of the house,
only the decorative motif and
furnishings to enhance the turn
of the century look. He has
replaced a mantel in the living
room with another of similar ap
pearance, purchasing the Vic
torian mantelpiece from owners
FORMER OWNERS—Mr. and Mra. M.L. HouMr. abov*. cor*
picturod on thoir wodding day In 1917. Two yoara cdtor, thoy
I built on* of tho first homos on U.S. 74 East on East King St. Mr.
Housor diod during tho doprossion yoors and his widow opon-
od tho houso to boordors. Mrs. Housor, 94, now rosidos in Ruf
fin.
!□
ANTIQUES WILL SET THEME—Miko Smith likos to colloct old
[i^plocos of fumlturo and has boon collocting for moro thon a
!! to furnish his homo on East King St
Story And
Photos By
Lib Stewart
of a Victorian home which burn
ed in Grover a few years ago.
The oak mantel is enhanced by
columns to the floor and a mir
ror.
Mike Smith admits to visiting
yard sales and flea markets for
unusual items but will feature,
not only old pieces in his
Elephant Shop, but handcraft
and furniture. Unusual items
and good merchandise will be
featured and persons who want
to offer their goods on a consign
ment basis are invited to call him
or come by his home from 7 un
til 9 p.m. week nights and on
Saturday from 1 until 6 p.m.
Customers are also invited to
come by his home and browse
during those hours.
Mike Smith has furnished his
master bedroom with an antique
bed and accessories and is using
an old-timey cook stove in the
kitchen which is bright with red
and white check curtains and
tablecloths.
He does not plan to cover the
floors, which are s|x>tle$s, and
the pine has been refinished by
Smith, assisted by Robert Edger-
ton. in the living room is an old-
timey sofa, matching chairs, and
an old RCA Radiola which real
ly plays music. A drop leaf table
holds tiny glass elephants which
are among Mike’s small collec
tion of the tiny animals.
Cyprus clocks, Christmas
wreaths and other Christmas gift
items will be featured in Mike’s
house which is expected to
resemble a holiday house in a
few weeks.
The past few months have
been busy for Smith who said
that the job of restoration had
not been easy, since he was try
ing to study for a master’s
degree, go to school and then
broke his left arm taking a group
of Church of God Sunday
School kids on a skating party.
He is still wearing his arm in a
cast.
When he is not looking for
items to add to his collections,
Mike is busy at books and his job
at East School where he teaches
a fourth and fifth grade com
bination class. He is also active
in the Church of God on
Bessemer City Road and teaches
a young people’s class. A
graduate of KMSHS and Ap
palachian State University, Mike
taught two years in Gaston
County and then served a tour
of duty with Uncle Sam. He has
been a K.M. teacher since 1973
and is the son of Mrs. Eunice
Smith and the late Manuel
David Smith of Kings Mountain.
“Mike’s Big Elephants” will
open for business this week and
Mike tells us that ‘anything you
don’t need is an elephant, a desk,
chair, buffet, etc. Maybe he can
sell your “elephant” for you.
Section B
Thursday, November 6, 1980
6I(x
^iEPHmS
MIKE'S BIG ELEPHANTS-Mike Smith. Kings
Mountain teacher, has restored o turn of the
century house on East King Street os a
residence and os a place for his "big
elephants". A collector, the young man is en
couraging citisens to bring all their unwanted
big elephants to him.
OLD TIMEY STOVE—An old-timey wood
stove is among antique items in Mike Smith's
refurbished home on East King St. which he
has beauifully redecorated while still preserv
ing the charm of the old home.
VICTORIAN RED MOTIF-A Victorlon red motif enhances the
formw MX Houser home which has been renovated by Mike
Smith. The mantel in the living room came from on old Vic
torian home which burned in Grover several years ago.