More stories from another previous owner
More stories! We met the daughter of the neighbours that used to live in our home. We were out front, puttering in the yard and watching Maddy learn/master her new scooter. And Karla walked out the door of her mother's. I smiled and waved, confident she was one of Thelma's daughters and knowing she once lived in the house.
She tentatively smiled back and paused. Then she walked over and said she once lived in the house. And the floodgates were opened! I said I knew, and had already had her brother and mother over for dinner once.
We stood outside for awhile, and tried to point to rooms where she once slept or played. And then we invited her in. And the stories really started!
First, the stairs to the basement! We now know where the original ones were. And that space is now our SHOE CLOSET! There was about 4 stairs down, then it turned and went to the basement. And that was where the original side door was too! Of it will be SO FUN when we take the siding off, to see what other mysteries we find. The once-basement now show closet closet is the last door on the right where the tile still is.
At the foot of the stairs in the basement was a rumpus room, and tucked beside it a small half bath. Now,where the stairs used to go, is the full basement bath and the closet. And so the claw foot tub in there? Not original! There was only a small sink and mirror and a toilet. The fireplace is new too. The laundry chute was always there, but Carl Sr. attached a tube to the end, that would direct the clothes and screwed it together, with the screws sticking out. Apparently clothes would always get stuck and need to be yanked out. But the laundry was always where it is now. Well, "always" meaning since they moved there in 1963.
Rambling tangentially on... Carl Sr. and Thelma lived there (with their 4 kids). Carl Sr's passed away in 1980. I somehow thought that they moved shortly after that, but nope! They continued to live there until 1991 when Karla and her twin moved out. But Thelma remarried in 1985, to Fred. Fred and Thelma slept upstairs for a time, but then they eventually moved to the basement rumpus room area, which they switched up to be a bit more like a bedroom. And then slept there. Carl Jr once slept upstairs, but then moved to the room that is now our storage room, where the small furnace is and the central vacuum. Which apparently has been there QUITE awhile, further reinforcing our decision to stick to our dyson.
There was carpet all through the main floor, put in shortly after the twins were born and they were slipping on the wood. And the stairs upstairs had a runner on it. No real evidence of that now. And makes me feel better about my thoughts of adding a runner...
The original part of the house ended where we thought it did. But the addition? Done in TWO PHASES. The family room was done first, and then the kitchen eating area? That was open to the air and was a porch for awhile. Karla can't remember the roofline, but there was a roof there (just no walls). The addition (the family room side) was started in 1977-ish, after Carl Sr. got a small inheritance. Which also bought the family's first microwave! The stove was always where it has been, although there was a large range hood before. Now we have a stove that vents through the floor. And the cabinets continued along the outside wall,which now leads to the kitchen eating area.
Where our pantry is now, there was an open railing, looking down the stairs. This second way down was part of the addition too, which makes sense since the stairs are gloriously wide. And even though there was only once closed in room upstairs, apparently the basement was always a full basement and that is where Carl Sr's business office was. This may explain the REALLY poor insulation in the eating area side of the walls, basement there before the walls were put in, in the porch. And why the insulation folks were so confused about why there would be insulation in the ceiling between the basement and the kitchen eating area (future post). It was a staged build and there were years and years (and different builders) between.
Wandering back to the basement in my thoughts. I think the basement once ended where we thought it might, there is a lip where the two sections aren't flush. But that means that part of the kitchen had no basement under it at one time? Fascinating (to me).
And Carl? He ADDED POPCORN TO THE CEILINGS. It was the 1970's, he liked the look of it. So thankful it's gone and we didn't have to deal with it. Although possibly the whole main floor has dropped ceilings like the family room does (future post). And the original Carl installed popcorn ceilings may be under there! She thinks the trim that is the crown moulding was thinner when she was younger, so that is likely newer? Maybe once the ceilings were dropped?
Confirmed again, none of the lights are original. Except maybe the front porch. The broken one, that we were looking to replace. And now will just fix instead.
Karla is going to give us a bunch of pictures of what it looked like then. I'll make copies and then include them on this blog and then into the book I want to create for the house's 100th birthday. It's such a gift to be able to talk to the people that once lived in our home... If only I could find the extended Turner family... the second owners. To find out what they changed since the days of Chas... a girl can dream.
She tentatively smiled back and paused. Then she walked over and said she once lived in the house. And the floodgates were opened! I said I knew, and had already had her brother and mother over for dinner once.
We stood outside for awhile, and tried to point to rooms where she once slept or played. And then we invited her in. And the stories really started!
First, the stairs to the basement! We now know where the original ones were. And that space is now our SHOE CLOSET! There was about 4 stairs down, then it turned and went to the basement. And that was where the original side door was too! Of it will be SO FUN when we take the siding off, to see what other mysteries we find. The once-basement now show closet closet is the last door on the right where the tile still is.
HIDEOUS light. Can't wait to change it...
Angle where the stairs went down...
(messy shoes... but there was once no floor there!)
There was carpet all through the main floor, put in shortly after the twins were born and they were slipping on the wood. And the stairs upstairs had a runner on it. No real evidence of that now. And makes me feel better about my thoughts of adding a runner...
The original part of the house ended where we thought it did. But the addition? Done in TWO PHASES. The family room was done first, and then the kitchen eating area? That was open to the air and was a porch for awhile. Karla can't remember the roofline, but there was a roof there (just no walls). The addition (the family room side) was started in 1977-ish, after Carl Sr. got a small inheritance. Which also bought the family's first microwave! The stove was always where it has been, although there was a large range hood before. Now we have a stove that vents through the floor. And the cabinets continued along the outside wall,which now leads to the kitchen eating area.
Where our pantry is now, there was an open railing, looking down the stairs. This second way down was part of the addition too, which makes sense since the stairs are gloriously wide. And even though there was only once closed in room upstairs, apparently the basement was always a full basement and that is where Carl Sr's business office was. This may explain the REALLY poor insulation in the eating area side of the walls, basement there before the walls were put in, in the porch. And why the insulation folks were so confused about why there would be insulation in the ceiling between the basement and the kitchen eating area (future post). It was a staged build and there were years and years (and different builders) between.
Wandering back to the basement in my thoughts. I think the basement once ended where we thought it might, there is a lip where the two sections aren't flush. But that means that part of the kitchen had no basement under it at one time? Fascinating (to me).
(where the wall angles? that is where the lip is)
And Carl? He ADDED POPCORN TO THE CEILINGS. It was the 1970's, he liked the look of it. So thankful it's gone and we didn't have to deal with it. Although possibly the whole main floor has dropped ceilings like the family room does (future post). And the original Carl installed popcorn ceilings may be under there! She thinks the trim that is the crown moulding was thinner when she was younger, so that is likely newer? Maybe once the ceilings were dropped?
Confirmed again, none of the lights are original. Except maybe the front porch. The broken one, that we were looking to replace. And now will just fix instead.
Karla is going to give us a bunch of pictures of what it looked like then. I'll make copies and then include them on this blog and then into the book I want to create for the house's 100th birthday. It's such a gift to be able to talk to the people that once lived in our home... If only I could find the extended Turner family... the second owners. To find out what they changed since the days of Chas... a girl can dream.
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