While it may just be a tin ceiling tile, this specific tile resided in a building that is rooted in my family’s history. The building was originally used in the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, and is dubbed “The Brick”… Soon after the World’s Fair, this building was deconstructed and sent by seven trainloads to Pacific, Missouri. There my great great grandparents, the Mchugh’s and Dailey's, spent a long time building it back together, and by 1908 the grandest building in Pacific was complete! My great great grandparents ran the town’s general store on the first floor, where they sold day to day goods, and were a central part of the town’s buying and selling. On the second floor the Mchugh family lived with their eight children, as well as the Daleys with nine children! I can’t believe how crazy it must have been with seventeen children living on one floor! On the top level was a banquet hall, this was where school dances were held, where people got married, and this floor served as the town hall… Some famous people such as President Harry Truman visited The Brick, where he even played the piano! Many years later in 2021, it’s still being used by members of my family, and currently the first floor is a restaurant. In the last couple of years I’ve gone to family reunions and birthday parties up in the banquet hall as well… When I see this tin ceiling tile and this building, I think about my ancestors who traveled here on boats from Ireland and made a strong, sturdy foundation for many generations to come.

– Jack

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more