HANNIBAL, MO. -- A 170-year-old home in downtown Hannibal looks like new thanks to dozens of Hannibal High School students and community support.
The restoration of the former Van Swearingin home, at 322 North Street, took two years to complete. Saturday, students got to show off their finished work to friends and family, as interested home buyers took a look through the home.
More than 50 high schoolers teamed with the Historic Preservation Trades program at the high school to restore the historic home. The program allows students at risk of graduating to learn the trade as long as they maintain good grades.
"We have a lot of kids who want to be in this program. So, we need to know they're serious about doing it and not just wanting to get out of school in the morning. They're hard working kids that feel a real sense of pride in being a part of this, and they've been coming all morning long with their parents and their sense of pride is just astonishing. I'm so proud of them. They're great kids," Bob Yapp, with Preservation Resources said.
The house is currently listed at $119,900. If it sells and loans from the restoration are repaid, the money will be split between the Mark Twain Museum and the Historic Preservation Trades program which intends on restoring another home off 6th St. in the coming year.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA