Davenport Evans employee Larry Johnson can often be found around the firm clearing walkways of ice and snow or overseeing work on the boiler. It’s a tireless job that requires a person with a broad range of skills. When not at work, Larry has employed those skills restoring the turn-of-the century home he shares with his wife, Ardell, in Valley Springs, SD. After 12 years at Davenport Evans, Larry will be retiring at the close of 2018. But before he goes, Larry invited his co-workers to his home for an antique Christmas open house.
The Johnson home in Valley Springs, SD is over 100 years old. Known for its distinguished wrap-around porch, the house was painstakingly restored by Larry, Ardell and members of the family, from the original floors to era-appropriate doors, windows and fixtures. The Johnsons have collected antiques room-by-room that include a turn-of-the-century stove with working burners and crock-pot, an additional stove for displays and an ice box now used for room-temperature storage. Each room offers great attention to detail with era-specific collectibles, such as the kitchen’s wall of antique match holders ranging from tin to cast-iron.
Christmas is found throughout the house, offering traditional Santas, Christmas trees, nostalgic Christmas cards, and a Swedish table setting. The larger-than-life Santa Claus in the music room was an unplanned find in an antique store when the family was on a road trip. You can imagine he made for a rather cramped ride home! The music room is also home to a piano and a beautiful, working pump organ. Davenport Evans COO Becky Freitag sat down to try a Christmas Carol on the organ, and found the old pedals quite a work out! The strong, old organ sound was worth the effort to all in attendance. Later, Larry’s daughter and granddaughter stopped by to add some holiday music, as well. We enjoyed cider and mulled wine from the old stove’s crock-pot and shared Christmas goodies and Ardell’s famous homemade caramels before departing for the night. Our thanks to the Johnsons for sharing their home and the magic of Christmas with their friends at Davenport Evans.
Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is one of the State’s largest law firms. The firm’s attorneys provide business and litigation counsel to individuals and corporate clients in a variety of practice areas. For more information about Davenport Evans, visit www.dehs.com.