On the Road: History of a House
Files from the Road: History of a House is the first post in a series of my travels on the East Coast. First stop, my hometown in Tennessee, where I stay in a house that is 107 years old. Owned by only five families, two of those have been friends of mine.
Old House, today, with sled hanging on wall
Situated on the top of a hill, this was central station for our grade school sledding gang on ice days. On run after run, asphalt of the narrow street could clearly be seen through the solid inch-thick ice. We would hobble on frozen stubs into the house to warm up over hot cider.
Original house, 1908
Well built in 1908 with enviable front porches, high ceilings, and an outhouse, this home retains its original integrity ~ with the addition of two bathrooms ~ and holds many memories of children and grandchildren at play. These days the owner fills the large kitchen with wonderful aromas of Southern cooking, and I go back in time and ponder the many days of this place.
In a big city like Los Angeles, where I live, old homes get razed daily for bigger and better, but in a small town, where the pace is slower and the demand less great, there’s value in preserving the history of a house. ~
If you enjoyed this post, please let me know. This series is about my musings on the road, interviews with family farmers, and whatever strikes my fancy. Thanks for reading, please subscribe if you haven’t, and share with a friend. Thanks! – Kaye
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Category: Community, Garden Musings
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Hi Kaye,
That was great. My place as well as Perrenial Roots have some old houses too . Mine dates from the same era back before electric and plumbing . It would likely be gone if we hadn’t sunk every penny and our blood sweat and tears into it. I am sorry there are no photos of this place that old in my possesion but I do have a photo of the house I grew up in (now long gone) . I do have the memory of riding my pony bareback on the dirt road it was then to visit the pony who lived here and a dream I had about this place before we moved here .
This place was built by the ancestors who built the house I grew up in a mile away… the oldest homestead in the area . The farmer who sold my Mom the place was in the kitchen in 78 and though the antique woodstove in the kitchen was the one he remembered from his childhood . His wife told me stories of driving a team of 6 mules with a wagon load of grain on a dirt road through a local town and across a ferry to market the grain . I can’t even imagine what it was like back then… We were the era right after that. I save those old tools from our ancestors and cherish them along with the old seed. I look forward to showing you around.
:)sharon
Terrific history and memories, Sharon! I look forward to revisiting them with you in person!