This house seems to be the first home built on Galena Ave in Old Cloverdale. It was probably constructed about 1912 for an O A Richardson. The house has the basic accoutrements of the classic Federal style, over which has been applied many of the features brought on by the Craftsman craze. That new style had been made popular by the magazine Craftsman, published between 1901 and 1916.  I’m thinking that this Richardson became the custodian of the famous Galena rocks. Richardson sold the place to Dr Paul Mertins circa 1915. You can go on the web and find pics of Dr Mertins and his son, in 1917 scenes which capture this house. In later years Dr Paul Mertins Jr made this his home, and he was still living here when I moved to Montgomery in 1951.

I did not see any rocks when I went by to take the picture, and I actually got out of the car that time. Maybe the first Mrs Mertins moved them to her back yard, because LeBron had moved to Millbrook and wouldn’t know. As has been pointed out previously, Galena was named for Galena Illinois. All the people who live on Galena know their street is named for a Yankee town, but they keep mum. From what I understand, Cloverdale officials never include Galena on their parade routes, and I don’t blame them one bit.

-Charles Humphries