I lived on an old farm that has been in my family for over 100 years now. After travelling a quarter of a mile, we noticed the oldest building we had ever seen. And then they entered a chamber where the walls were covered with hog's leather, and printed with gold flowers. The door is open just a crack. Welcome to our index of old house blogs and restoration stories. When we moved into our 1872 brick home, the kitchen was empty (a small galley kitchen had been installed in an adjacent closed-in porch, now our laundry room), so we had the chance to create it as we saw fit. said she. ", "But I do not know it," said he, "and no one knows it! And then it was put to rights. Flashcards Kitchen objects flashcards. said the old man. The remaining handle now has a curved end. Ask This Old House. In the street, up there, was an old, a very old house--it was almost three hundred years old, for that might be known by reading the great beam on which the date of the year was carved: together with tulips and hop-binds there were whole verses spelled as in former times, and over every window was a distorted face cut out in the beam. I love anything that is old and has a story behind it. said she. or "cranky! said the little boy. Note that even if you see knob and tube wiring, it might not be active; sometimes it was disconnected but left in place when new wiring was run. David Shough, Keller Williams Community Partners. A few years ago, Old-House Journal asked for your old-house ghost stories, and tons of you wrote in to share your otherworldly experiences.We thought our anniversary issue was a great time to revisit one of our most popular subjects, so we asked Tom Everitt, a Canadian real-estate agent who started collecting ghost stories after finding a tombstone in the back yard of his 1910 … Old houses are so, well, old, that they’ve had a long time to acquire secrets – objects, manmade and otherwise – hidden in crevasses, under floorboards, etc. You stood devoutly with folded hands; and father and mother were just as pious; and then the door was opened, and little sister Mary, who is not two years old yet, and who always dances when she hears music or singing, of whatever kind it may be, was put into the room--though she ought not to have been there--and then she began to dance, but could not keep time, because the tones were so long; and then she stood, first on the one leg, and bent her head forwards, and then on the other leg, and bent her head forwards--but all would not do. That’s just legend, but the lack of closets remains real. The one or two upper sections are nailed to the wall studs (or to wood inserts in a brick wall) and sit in a groove in the lower section. said they. Visit an auto junk yard and pick up a single leaf from a leaf spring assembly. "I cannot bear it!" nor "cranky, cranky!" Now, I know what it is to have a visit from one's old thoughts, with what they may bring with them! I have had a visit from mine, and you may be sure it is no pleasant thing in the end; I was at last about to jump down from the drawers. Wiring has been added, of course, but the initial work was probably the old “knob and tube” style – individual sheathed wires strung, usually in pairs, between ceramic knobs and through ceramic tube when the wires must pass through joists, under the floor boards. There are rumors that odd, creaking noises start every time university closes. An Old House Story. Trateratra!" Your inspector can determine for sure. "I shall find him!" Here stood old flower-pots with faces and asses' ears, and the flowers grew just as they liked. I cannot bear it longer! A dozen families loved this place, Then, sadly, moved away. Follow @OldHouseStories to watch my renovations and see some Trateratra!" how I creak; now I shall certainly get the gout, like the old clothespress, ugh!". You stood very seriously all together, although it was difficult enough; but I laughed to myself, and then I fell off the table, and got a bump, which I have still--for it was not right of me to laugh. and the swords and armor on the knights' portraits rattled, and the silk gowns rustled; the hog's leather spoke, and the old chairs had the gout in their legs and rheumatism in their backs: Ugh! One of the pots was quite overrun on all sides with pinks, that is to say, with the green part; shoot stood by shoot, and it said quite distinctly, "The air has cherished me, the sun has kissed me, and promised me a little flower on Sunday! This collection contains a variety of stories about  buying, selling, and living in historic homes, especially in the southwest Ohio area where I live. Log In. And then there was a flight of stairs which went a good way upwards, and a little way downwards, and then one came on a balcony which was in a very dilapidated state, sure enough, with large holes and long crevices, but grass grew there and leaves out of them altogether, for the whole balcony outside, the yard, and the walls, were overgrown with so much green stuff, that it looked like a garden; only a balcony. (19th Century homes are more likely to have had wallpaper on the walls originally, rather than paint.) And when he looked across at the wall where the mortar had fallen out, he could sit and find out there the strangest figures imaginable; exactly as the street had appeared before, with steps, projecting windows, and pointed gables; he could see soldiers with halberds, and spouts where the water ran, like dragons and serpents. Can you not understand that?". He stated that the girl had attempted to find shelter in the house but the owners were not at home. It begins in 1999 with its current residents who are trying to unravel mysteries from the past. We’ve got the full story. Here it is not at all as it is over the way at your home, where your father and mother spoke so pleasantly, and where you and all your sweet children made such a delightful noise. It would at least be a change. Casa Decrepit - The restoration of the Italianate style home is simply amazing and the story reads better than any Reality TV Show. The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai This is the story about a seemingly haunted 100-year-old house that is told in reverse. Screw the handle onto the extension pole and you can easily lift up a hanger from any height! All the other houses in the street were so new and so neat, with large window panes and smooth walls, one could easily see that they would have nothing to do with the old house: they certainly thought, "How long is that old decayed thing to stand here as a spectacle in the street? It was the main residence of John Crenshaw, his wife, and their five children. The refrigerator is tucked away in the pantry; the main sink is in the island opposite the stove. In the spring they pulled the house down, for, as people said, it was a ruin. A Story told by a Houseowner THE old house had to be pulled down that a new one might be built in its place. Antique armoires can be a beautiful addition to a room and may cost less than remodeling; their capacity can be limited though; when shopping for one, be sure to check that they are deep enough for modern hangers. "That was a relief," said the neighboring houses. A fine house was built there, with large windows, and smooth white walls; but before it, where the old house had in fact stood, was a little garden laid out, and a wild grapevine ran up the wall of the neighboring house. shouted something close by; but no one, except the pewter soldier, saw that it was a piece of the hog's-leather hangings; it had lost all its gilding, it looked like a piece of wet clay, but it had an opinion, and it gave it: Return to the Hans Christian Andersen Home Page, or . And the old errand man looked quite pleased, nodded, and took the pewter soldier over to the old house. ", And there stood easy-chairs, with such high backs, and so carved out, and with arms on both sides. A breaker box and 200 amp service was installed, the existing wiring was replaced with modern 3-wire plastic encased cable, and some outlets added, but that was as far as it went. Something came here, and something came there; the portrait of her who had been found at the broker's came to the broker's again; and there it hung, for no one knew her more--no one cared about the old picture. The whole day is so long, and the evenings are still longer! Portland, Oregon Next Showing 1 - 50 of 80. (A more probable explanation:  fewer clothes and tall armoires – furniture designed to hold hanging clothes.) Among the modern conveniences a 19th century home was built without (including plumbing, heating, and electric) was closets. "I saw you all over there at home so distinctly, as if you really were here; it was again that Sunday morning; all you children stood before the table and sung your Psalms, as you do every morning. The old man now came with a drawer, in which there was much to be seen, both "tin boxes" and "balsam boxes," old cards, so large and so gilded, such as one never sees them now. "They say at home," said the little boy, "that you are so very, very lonely! Built in 1929 in Baroque style, the Minxiong Ghost House (aka the Lui family mansion) is a place with a heartbreaking history. There was a house in the middle of a forest, it was broken, beaten down. Read on and if you want to explore further, drop me a message. Yes, that was a picture book! Your supplier of traditional and ecological building and home improvement materials. That was a house to look at; and there lived an old man, who wore plush breeches; and he had a coat with large brass buttons, and a wig that one could see was a real wig. In our Italianate house in the Oregon district in Dayton, a prior renovation had cut a doorway through a brick way between two rooms and framed it in by simply nailing wood to the brick around the opening, over the wall paper that was already in place. The term “open floor plan” usually has little application to historic, especially 19th century, homes, unless they have been extensively renovated. but looked with her mild eyes at the little boy, who directly asked the old man, "Where did you get her? "But it is delightful not to be forgotten!". Investigation found that a space had opened in the mortar between bricks on the outside wall (probably because it was under a window sill, a common source of water damage). In the evening there was a hearse seen before the door, and he was borne into it in his coffin: he was now to go out into the country, to lie in his grave. The use of sliding double pocket doors in some late 19th century designs did tend to open up spaces a bit in the “public” rooms, but the backrooms mostly remained divided off. He will get nothing but a grave! Layers and Layers. You can see the layout – and where each of these nine doors leads – in the floor plan drawing below. said he. Another excursion under the second floor floorboards of the Carlisle house found a massed collection of dozens of small corncobs. The little boy comes! Make it count. Every home has a story. THE OLD HOUSE. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett, Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe. --and then the door opened. Afterwards there came a message; it was to ask if the little boy himself had not a wish to come over and pay a visit; and so he got permission of his parents, and then went over to the old house. Tell me something about little Mary! She’s always been fascinated by the strange, dilapidated house behind the university. There sat something pointed, straight out of the soft mould. ", "You are given away as a present!" I can bear it no longer! Grammar chants I live in a flat. The drawing also shows the basic kitchen design we eventually adopted. The old man now went into the other room to fetch preserves, apples, and nuts--yes, it was delightful over there in the old house. The little boy returned home happy and pleased, and weeks and days passed away, and nods were made to the old house, and from the old house, and then the little boy went over there again. The problem was finding wall space for cabinets. Sign Up. sit down!" Elaine pushes back the overgrown weeds that surround the house. Here are a few of my own discoveries. California. sounded from all the furniture; there was so much of it, that each article stood in the other's way, to get a look at the little boy. Flashcards Everyday objects flashcards. Yes, they blew--"Trateratra! If you can see them, check the wirings exiting the breaker box – if they look like individual wires covered in a dark fabric-like sheath, they are probably active knob and tube. And several drawers were opened, and the piano was opened; it had landscapes on the inside of the lid, and it was so hoarse when the old man played on it! It had old wood planks, a tin roof, and was obviously constructed by a simpler family back in the old days. Thankfully, the hive had long ago moved on, but they left behind intact honeycombs and honey. Do you enjoy Ask This Old House on TV? A hundred years of living, These walls have seen each day. Word games Places to live. Home improvement TV show This Old House looks a little different this season: Roger Cook, who had been This Old House’s garden and landscape contractor on the show since 1988, exited the show in January 2020. Hans Christian Andersen first published this short story in 1830. The house was constructed in the 1830s. What are the options? As you would imagine, houses built in the 19th century were not built with electric wiring. I will go to the wars!" Do you think he gets mild eyes, or a Christmas tree? Our 1872 Second Empire brick home did have closets in several bedrooms (and downstairs rooms), though they did not serve well for clothes hanging:  these rooms all have chimneys that project about twelve inches into the room and the closets were built beside, and flush with, the chimney wall, making them only about nine inches deep! If the wires coming out of the breaker box are all plastic coated or contained in rigid or flexible conduit, and the outlets throughout the house are uniformly 3-prong, then the wiring is likely modern. Molding pry-bar:  Though you always hate to disturb that gorgeous wood molding around your doors or along the floor, sometime its necessary, but commercial pry bars are seldom thin enough to get behind the molding without damage. Yes, he is happy enough, that's sure! "Thankee! said the pewter soldier. And because of these issues and other safety issues it may be difficult to get home insurance coverage. "Sit down! Elaine is 12. "I find it so very delightful here, and then all the old thoughts, with what they may bring with them, they come and visit here. Lifting up a floorboard in a second floor room of our 1872 brick house in Carlisle, to do some wiring for the room below, I discovered a bee hive full of honey. The home had long ago been part of a dairy farm and feed corn may well have been grown on the land. As we were moving into our big 1872 second empire home, the movers asked where to install the large sectional desk she uses for her sewing machines. "Let me see him," said the young man. Does it still have fuses instead of circuit breakers? Design tastes, and lack of central heating, contributed to floor plans divided into separate rooms and passing doors. Whether you live in an older home or are considering buying or remodeling one, there are old-house problems you should familiarize yourself with. Cob Pile. extending painting pole with an old paint roller handle. Take an old paint roller and pull the metal bar out of it (you may need give it a few twists to loosen it). The house, of course, had had electricity installed in the early 20th century, replacing the gas light service, but only for lighting. Before the garden there was a large iron railing with an iron door, it looked quite splendid, and people stood still and peeped in, and the sparrows hung by scores in the vine, and chattered away at each other as well as they could, but it was not about the old house, for they could not remember it, so many years had passed--so many that the little boy had grown up to a whole man, yes, a clever man, and a pleasure to his parents; and he had just been married, and, together with his little wife, had come to live in the house here, where the garden was; and he stood by her there whilst she planted a field-flower that she found so pretty; she planted it with her little hand, and pressed the earth around it with her fingers. But when one has been in a family circle one cannot accustom oneself to this life! I love them and I love to sell them, and if you’re interested, in them too, I’d love to help you. and then he hummed a song. "I cannot bear it any longer!" The steps are as broad as those of a palace, and as high as to a church tower. Word games Parts of a building . Oh, Honey! And then the little boy came into the room where the projecting windows were, and where the old man sat. And then the projecting windows stand so far out, that no one can see from our windows what happens in that direction! Old House Life started as a Facebook page and has grown into a hub for people who love historic houses and the preservation of history. And then he told his wife about the old house, and the old man, and about the pewter soldier that he sent over to him because he was so very, very lonely; and he told it as correctly as it had really been, so that the tears came into the eyes of his young wife, on account of the old house and the old man. Old House Store has a range of products to suit every need, whether that’s a major sympathetic restoration, small repair or decorating a period property. Rather let me go to the wars and lose arms and legs! said the pewter soldier, who sat on the drawers. If so, knob and tube may still be in use, though it is possible the wiring was replaced though the breaker box was not. I am very well off!". Hosted by This Old House Editor Chris Ermides, you’ll hear from home enthusiasts around the country, who ask questions about the toughest projects in their homes.Learn from trusted This Old House experts, including Tom Silva, Richard Trethewey, Jenn Nawada, Heath Eastman, Charlie Silva, … Then in came the old man with the most pleased and happy face, the most delicious preserves, apples, and nuts, and so the little boy thought no more about the pewter soldier. The carved trumpeters blew, "Trateratra! "I thank you for the pewter soldier, my little friend!" Oh! Under the picture, in a glazed frame, there hung a bouquet of withered flowers; they were almost fifty years old; they looked so very old! by Hans Christian Andersen. The host guides various participants as they repair and renovate various houses. Or visit my website of Facebook page for more information. I love them and I love to sell them, and if you’re interested, in them too, I’d love to help you. stories, blood, clowns. The windows were quite frozen, the little boy was obliged to sit and breathe on them to get a peep-hole over to the old house, and there the snow had been blown into all the carved work and inscriptions; it lay quite up over the steps, just as if there was no one at home--nor was there any one at home--the old man was dead! We had been so enthralled with other wonders of the house when we saw it, and we knew it had brand new HVAC but needed a new bathroom, that we failed to check for something as simple as bedroom outlets. Nay, how lonely the old man is--do you think that he gets kisses? That day passed, and the little boy went home, and that week passed, and several weeks too. The original house that was built on my property is still standing, and quite sturdy. It was--yes, guess! I cannot bear it any longer! All of the homes we’ve owned have been historic homes, in fact 19th century homes. "How very, very lonely he must have been!" Historic homes offer special challenges and opportunities; here are a couple of ideas that can help out. ", "You must not let it grieve you so much," said the little boy. Living in an old house has been a dream for as long as I can remember. Every morning there came an old fellow to him who put his rooms in order, and went on errands; otherwise, the old man in the plush breeches was quite alone in the old house. Casa Decrepit Alamdea, California. As part of our own renovation, I removed that wood door molding and found under it not just wallpaper, but seventeen different layers of wallpaper, which, once I carefully separated them, show a clear evolution of wallpaper styles over the decades. I led the architect through the empty rooms, and between our business talk told him various stories. Stories of haunted houses are tales as old as time – as children, we told stories during sleepovers with friends, and as adults, we read books or watch movies about them. It was a old, brown two-story house, with weeds growing up the walls, and plants growing in the gutters. Sometimes, these additions stop at the modern 8 foot way height, which, in a typical 11-12’ high 19th Century bedroom, makes the closet stick out as an inelegant modern addition. He told me a young girl had died outside of that house about 50 years before. She had stuck herself. This collection contains a variety of stories about buying, selling, and living in historic homes, especially in the southwest Ohio area where I live. said the pewter soldier. Then pry the lower section up from the floor.). 58.6k Followers, 690 Following, 125 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Old House Our Home (@oldhouseourhome) Using a bench grinder sharpen one end to a gentle taper (see photos). It had been in the same family until the 1980s and no updating had been done until new owners took over then. We don't just construct, we restore thoughtfully. No ground wire, for one, means that any device needing a ground wire cannot be safely used. Is so long, and the evenings are still longer! been in middle... Tin roof, and the evenings are still longer! wall space index of old house, assume! Comrade, the old house on TV little wall space a ground wire can not bear it any longer ''. She ’ s floors Roger, and the story reads better than Reality. Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett, Uncle Tom 's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe never wat... Grew just as they repair and renovate various houses soldier had fallen through crevice! 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