ST. LOUIS — Happiness is a state of mind. This is particularly true for St. Louis native Janice Jernigans, a 77-year-old retired teacher. She has spent the last 40 years manifesting joy within the walls of her historic red clay brick home.
Throughout the years, developers have surrounded her house with new builds wrapped in siding while Janice has relished in an antique.
"I was tired of those in power telling us where they wanted us to move and live. It was my decision to come back to my roots down in the city where I was born and raised," Jernigans said proudly.
In the 19th century, the red clay built much of St. Louis and the evidence of its once abundant existence continues through people like Jernigans.
"Something just drew me to the area even though it was depressed and a lot of demolishing was going on," she said, recalling purchasing the row house with her husband.
The pair quickly joined the neighborhood council with the hope of making the community better. Jernigans believes that people should pour into the communities they are from.
Not only did she refuse the developer's offer to buy her home but she decided to expand it. Jernigans bought the attached duplex and broke through concrete to expand her living space.
According to Zillow, the building built in 1892 is now 3,384 square feet. She has added a porch, and steps to remedy uneven floors, and inherited a larger backyard, which she refers to as "Buddha Land."
The home also serves as a hub for the family to gather for special occasions. The walls hold memories from when her adult grandchildren were young and would come over and play.
Jernigans credits her positive outlook on life to the Buddhist method of life.
"Out of the muddy murky waters comes the lotus blossom blooming and this was the very lowest. And I know that I can create my own happiness by little small means," she said.
The inside of the home is decked out with family pictures, memorabilia and pride of heritage like her dashiki pillows and Black dolls from the 20th century.
"I do collect a lot of memorabilia that may be controversial to a lot of people but I'm claiming it. I'm reclaiming it," she said about her Black dolls.
Janice also collects giraffes and has filled her home with too many to count. She has even turned a simple telephone pole in her Buddha Land into a giraffe's neck. She took the project a step further when she commissioned a local artist to make the giraffe's head out of Styrofoam, add glasses, and adorn his neck with a gold chain.
She named that giraffe "Cool Jay."
She said much of her home is filled with thrift store finds and Buddha Land is no different. The yard is filled with greenery, a pond and mini gardens. The different sections symbolize significant joy for her.
Jernigans commissioned an artist to make a mural of her on a shipping container that also sits in Buddha Land.
"Being our color doesn't mean you have to be in the worst conditions, you can make things better," Janice said.
Janice admits the process of transforming her home into a bohemian palace did not happen overnight. Every project, done for the tranquility, took time and she only recently stopped doing major projects to the home.
Janice recently underwent a battle with cancer and is now cancer-free.
"I am just thrilled to death," Janice said about her health.
Janice used her creativity to deal with her diagnosis.
"Every time I would go to get the chemo or to get the treatments I was dressed as beautiful as I could be. It's like you look good, you feel good," she said. Her mentality was simply, "I can do a lot and I can battle this too."
All the while she received letters and phone calls asking her to sell her home.
"No, I don't want to sell. I love my brick home," she said firmly. "I love America. I love St. Louis. I love St. Louis dearly, I really do. We've got a lot but that's alright. We can build up and make it better. And not listen to all these people that say I'm leaving St. Louis."
Large numbers of residents are leaving the city, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
"You were put on this earth to be happy and make your own happiness. Too many people are trying to wait until they die to be happy. No, you're not meant to suffer," Janice protested.
