Regardless, we are finally getting to enjoy the property. I frequently take the dog on a walk around the pastures and barnyard. I have several pictures from the "big" snow we had last week that I will post soon. We had asked the previous owner, whose family had been in ownership of the property for over 150 years, if they had any old photos of the place and they sent two to us last night.
The earliest picture (above) seems to date to about 1900. It would be to this appearance we plan to restore the house. Oddly enough the door is not in the center and there doesn't appear to be a second mirrored door to the front door's left. This is pretty uncommon for a Greek Revival styled I-house. The styling is fairly reserved, but the wide trim boards seen at the eave line all still exist beneath the current siding. You can also seen how on the right side of the house there was an open porch that was enclosed in about 1930. Our renovation plans keep the porch enclosed (it's our dining room) but will change the exterior appearance to make it look more open with columns and tall windows. The cedar trees in front of the house appear to be about 20 years old in this photo, placing their planting in about 1880. 130 year lifespan for cedars is pretty long and they still appear to be doing fine.
The later picture appears to date to about 1940, probably just after the insul-brick installation on the house. The current picture was taken last fall. Interesting how these are all from the same basic perspective to the southwest of the house. I know I shot the one picture from this point of view due to the cedar trees; I assume that was the logic for the others.
1 comment:
Whoever invented insul-brick should be shot! I lived in an apartment that was part of a ca. 1890 house in the early 90s; the place was wrapped in the stuff. What a dreadful thing to do to an old structure.
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