Published: July 03, 2009 09:33 pm      

Area family has possible presidential relic

PRINCETON — Jo Anna and Ott Fredeking have always been patriotic, but about 10 years ago, their love of demonstrating their patriotic pride took a huge leap forward when a friend gave them two pieces of bunting that the Fredekings believe to be relics of the President Abraham Lincoln administration.

“Tom Strow, a teacher at Princeton Senior High School has a cousin who lives in Washington, D.C.,” Jo Anna Fredeking said. “Tom’s cousin frequently attends federal government warehouse sales, and was looking in a bin that was left after one of the sales was over.

“The bin had ‘A. Lincoln’ printed on the outside and contained these two pieces of very old bunting,” Fredeking said. “He asked one of the people in charge of the auction how much they were asking for that bin, and the guy said: ‘The auction’s already over. Just go ahead and take them.’”

“Tom’s cousin likes antiques and he knew Tom collected antiques, so he offered the bunting to Tom and said if he didn’t want them, he could give them who would appreciate them,” Fredeking said. “Tom told his cousin that he had the perfect house for them to be displayed in.”

Jo Anna is a retired Mercer County teacher/school administrator, and Ott Fredeking is still active in the funeral service business. Both are actively involved in community and they love their beautiful home on North Walker Street in Princeton.

The Fredeking house was built in 1903 by Dr. Robert Blaine McNutt beside the original McNutt home at the corner of North Walker Street and Honaker Avenue, a home McNutt bought in 1847 for $200 in a courthouse sale. The original McNutt house now serves as headquarters of the Princeton/Mercer County Chamber of Commerce.

The original McNutt home was one of only two buildings in Princeton that was not set to the torch by Confederate defenders commanded by Captain Walter Jenifer when they withdrew from Princeton following the May 17, 1862 Battle of Pigeon Roost. A pair future U.S. presidents, Lt. Col. Rutherford B. Hayes and Sgt. William McKinley, both serving in the 23rd Ohio Infantry, both stayed at the older McNutt home while the Yankee army stayed in Princeton briefly.

“When Tom brought them (the bunting pieces) down, they needed to be repaired,” Jo Anna Fredeking said. “I’m no Betsy Ross, but I did my best to stitch them together. I don’t know if they came from Lincoln’s first inauguration or from some other event. All I know is that they’re really old.”

The Fredekings have a long-standing reputation for decorating their home in near-picture postcard perfection for the winter holidays, but Strow was also aware of the family’s passion for decorating their home on Independence Day.

“There are two different styles of bunting,” Fredeking said. “I get them out of the attic every year and the nails I hang them from stay up through the year. They’re very worn and the color is not as bright as the other bunting we put up, but they have a great sentimental value for us.

“I’m a history buff,” she said. “I love history and I love the connection of President Abraham Lincoln to our state. West Virginia is the only state formed during the Civil War, and we probably wouldn’t be a state at all if it weren’t for President Lincoln.”

Fredeking is proud of West Virginia’s independent roots and proud of its place in American history. “We have a fierce pride as West Virginians and pride in America.”

The Fredekings traditionally complete their patriotic display before July 1, and leave it in place for several days. “I love to decorate for the 4th of July,” she said.

— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com