Out with the old, in with new

    The one bathroom, four bedroom house that is older than any Leavenworth resident (a safe assumption), has finally gotten an ending to all of the stories that have occurred within the walls. After it's 118 birthday, the home was torn down by the Rayfield Brothers Excavating company on November 28.
    The little white house was formerly nestled on 220 Summit Ave., near two familiar spots in town - Leavenworth Community United Methodist Church and the 76 gas station. Many Leavenworth locals have probably driven by or maybe strolled by on a walk and some may not have realized its lengthy history.
    "It was built in 1900 and both houses on either side were built in 1940," said owner and neighbor to the home for 25 years, Gary Pinckney. "It was the first house on the block."
    The house has had many different occupants filter in and out of its rooms over the long course of time since its conception in 1900. Along with a variety of different residents, the house has had to make some remodeling tweaks to keep up with the toll that time inevitably erodes from any home.
    Last December, neighbor Pinckney purchased the home when the former owner and last occupant moved to Oklahoma. After several decades, the home showed her age and instead of allowing the house to decay and diminish the block, the neighbors stepped in.
    "We're going to rebuild and place a new home there and improve the neighborhood," said Pinckney.