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Across the Fence:  History of your Home  |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 13 2005 : 5:29:17 PM
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I know many of you know about your family background, as I have asked that in a previous post, but how many of you know the history of your home? Is there a rich history of someone famous sleeping there or maybe you are on the family Century farm. No, I am not doing a survey, just curious and a big history buff  . The house DH and I live in was built in 1912. Was built by the Ralston family - mainly Sara. They lived here we figure for about 10 years, Mr. Ralston died within three years after the home was built. Sarah took on a boarder after hubby died. Then the house was sold to a couple of different owners, the last being an older woman with apparently no family, because when she died she willed the house to the Apostolic Faith Church - down the street from us. That is who owned the house for the past 50+ years until we purchased it from them. We know that our lot was much larger, and that on the east side of the house were large fir trees and couple of cabins the old women rented out to the church during their summer bible camps. Then the property was subdivided and the house next door was built. Apparently in order to subdivide they had to tear off a porch that wrapped around the east side of our home to make room - we have a sidewalk in the back that ends at the neighbors fence. We also know that the first subflooring put in our livingroom was done during WWII, because when we ripped it up to replace it we found old newspapers - headlines read "Bombing of Pearl Harbor", "Hilter on the Run", etc. We also know that in the early 60's when a pastor for the church lived here his son had a chicken coop in our backyard, but it ended sadly when the racoons moved in. We keep hoping to find a hidden stash of money somewhere in the house as we continue to remodel, but still no luck. Just wondering what piece of history are you living in.
Anne in Portland
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Nov 13 2005 : 6:26:55 PM
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don't know the complete history of our civil war era log cabins ... the original cabin to the property was built in 1863 .. the other one that was moved here from about 20 miles away was built circa 1875. over time, they were 'built over' in farmhouse styles i am told by those who actually lived in the original cabin. i do know that abraham lincoln was born in a log cabin just ten miles away from ours .. but he was president of the u.s. when our was being built.
a young lawyer (who is now a judge in kentucky) was the owner who had the 'new farmhouse' taken off of the olde log walls .. and another couple brought it back to it's glory .. and my husband and i now own cabin creek farm and honor it's heritage.
i have also been told that the first 'legal' whiskey after prohibition was sold from our cabin. i am going to do lots more research on that one ... one of our neighbors has the remnants of an old 'still' where illegal whiskey was made (and probably sold from our cabin illegally .. until the 'feds' took over the operation.
each cabin consists of an upstairs room .. and a downstairs room. the 'upper cabin' also has a 'lean-to' and back porch mud-room. there is a new addition between the two cabins that brings them together as one house .. with the outside log walls being 'inside walls' .. we just love this farm so very much . . truly our 'nirvana' .. heaven on earth! frannie
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2005 : 05:15:19 AM
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How cool! History is so interesting.
Nothing fancy about the history of our house, as far as I know. Both it and the MIL suite in the back were built in the early 30s. The original family also built my neighbor's house in the 40's. Then it passed into the hands of an older couple, then after they died it was purchased by a fellow in town to be used as a rental.
Four years ago there was a fire in the house, not a bad one at all, and they did some remodeling on the cheap (but ignored some bigger problems the house had), and rented it back out. The last folks were alcoholics fond of big bonfires in the backyard (the oak tree is permanently singed), running 4-wheelers around the house, etc.
And the guy living in the MIL suite was selling drugs. I hope not cooking them (it was Meth) but we have completely gutted the MIL and redone it, so all the contaminated material would be gone now anyway. |
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BlueEggBabe
True Blue Farmgirl
417 Posts
Susan
PA
417 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2005 : 06:00:25 AM
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Part of our stone farmhouse was built in the 1790's and the other half was added in the mid 1850's.It is located along a main road that led farmers into Philadelphia to sell their stock and wares.
Apparently, at one time our home was an inn called the "Fountain Inn" and their was a large fountain in the front of the house. Unfortunately no remnants of it remain.
Anyway, a story circulates that wagons used to bring supplies to the inn from Philadelphia in bags and barrels. Once a barrel of what was supposed to be beer or alcohol of some sort was opened and a dead body was stuffed inside instead!! yikes!
The original farmhouse suffered a severe (mysterious) fire in the early 1900's and all that remained was a stone shell. It was rebuilt and that is where I live today.
Also, in another property behind me was where Benjamin Franklin met with his "mistress in the country" during a long-time affair.It was very well documented and apparently her ghost has been seen there on many an occasion.
www.feedsackfarmgirls.blogspot.com
www.farmatcoventry.com
"If more of us valued good food, cheer and song above hoarded gold,the world would be a merrier place."
J.J.R.Tolkien |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2005 : 06:54:36 AM
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Wow - your homes have such wonderful, colored pasts. Even you Lynn with a newer home, some wild things were happen there. Frannie I love the story of the illegal still - how exciting and Susan, Ben Franklin and a mistress, there's a story. Our house doesn't have that wild of history, at least not what we have found so far.
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2005 : 08:41:55 AM
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The oldest part of my house is over 100 years old and although it was never a fancy house for sure, has some neat things about it..we still use the skeleton key for the lock on the kitchen door!! It has very high ceilings and neat chubby moldings around the windows and baseboards and although some things have been "updated" in a not my favorite things way it is a neat house. I love it. My dream is to restore it back more to how it was originally. The last family before us were here since 1950..and did most of the "updating". They also have alot of answers as to how things used to be though, so I am thankful to be able to talk to one of the daughters now and then..she was only 6 or 7 when they moved in here and grew up here. No one famous has lived here but it has been around a long time and is a good old house.
Jenny in Utah
It's astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen...Frances Burnette |
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westfork woman
True Blue Farmgirl
554 Posts
Kennie Lyn
Emmett
Idaho
USA
554 Posts |
Posted - Nov 14 2005 : 5:26:37 PM
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Our family has been on this ranch for over a hundred years. The original house on the place was a line shack that belonged to a land grant cattle ranch. That building is now our tack shed. DH's great uncle built a little two room bungalow with a lean-to kitchen and a front porch. It was in bad shape by the 1940's, so my in-laws built a new little 50's hip roofed house. Nothing fancy, and not very big, but built very well and they did it themselves, with the best material they could afford. It is a nice snug little house. No one but husband's family has ever lived in it.
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2005 : 06:51:24 AM
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Kennie Lyn -
You are lucky to be in the same house as the family for so many years. You probably have early photos of what things looked like and how they have changed or not changed over the years. That is one thing we are lacking about our home. We went to the city records and we have written documentation on things that happened to the house over the years - roofs ripped off, decks put on taken off, porches enclosed, etc. but no photos. I would love to see what our house looked like even 40 years ago - it would give us a sense of how we should proceed with our remodel.
Anne
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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OregonGal
True Blue Farmgirl
511 Posts
Chris
No. IL
USA
511 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2005 : 7:29:56 PM
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The house we live in is not historic, but we do live in this present house which is on a historic site in this county. The road we live on is named Lighthouse Rd. but not because there is a lighthouse anywhere around it. The original landowner was a traveling preacher man - serving several surrounding communities (I believe they called them circuit riders). The house was/is on the top of a hill and the preacher's wife kept a light in the window to guide the preacher home - and the light was also a guide for other travellers as well. We are near the Rock River so there were always alot of travellers in the area going to trade or buy from towns along the river. We have 6.5 acres of the original 80 homestead acres. We have a beautiful view of cornfields and farms as far as we can see....we feel very lucky to have come across it when it was for sale. Thanks for sharing....it is very interesting.
"Every morning's a beautiful morning" |
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Across the Fence: History of your Home |
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History of your Home
