Historic House Blog

We’ve written before about “preserving” historic homes through subdivision (for a look at some of these cases, see our article “‘Preserving’ Historic Estates Through Subdivision?”).  Usually, this process involves cutting up a large tract of land (usually a historic farmstead) for the purpose of building a new subdivision, with development approval hinging on a caveat that the developer [...]

At the height of the goldrush, in the year 1849, Daniel Ward left St. Joseph County in northern Indiana in pursuit of gold in California.  Two years later, Ward returned with a “small fortune.”  By the end of the Civil War, in 1865, he had erected a grand Itaianate mansion in Granger for his family, [...]

It may seem like the economy is worse than we thought when $1.00 is too much for buyers to spend on a historic house!
In the desirable town of  Barrington, Illinois, that is exactly what has happened.  Three old houses were slated for demolition unless a buyer (or buyers) saved them from the wrecking ball by promising to pay [...]

A 142-year-old, Italianate-turned-Victorian historic house was just demolished in Smithland, Kentucky this week.  The Dunn-Cherry House, built in 1867, was razed by town officials to make way for a new office building & library on the site. 
As usual in cases such as these, local preservationists protested the loss of a one-of-a-kind historic property, with its links to prominant figures [...]

The owners of the historic Otis Briggs House are looking for a buyer to purchase and relocate the house. The Victorian Eastlake-style house stands behind Steve’s Sports Den at 145 Centre Street in downtown Middleboro, Massachusetts and is on the proposed site of a new mixed use commercial and apartment building. The developer of the project, Robert Saquet, [...]

The St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Joplin, Missouri has a great offer for you:   A brick, circa 1908, Craftsman bungalow for just $1.  Yes, one dollar.  Of course, the catch is that you have to move the property to another location.  This historic property, which is located at 728 S. Byers Avenue, appears to be in terrific [...]

If you’ve ever had a burning desire to live in a great historic house, for nothing down, and with no monthly payment, then one of these programs may be perfect for you. You’d need a hammer, and some other tools, and need to be comfortable with a lot of manual labor ….and be willing to commit to a 7-30 [...]

The waters off of New Jersey can be treacherous for shipping traffic and many ships have come to grief against the Jersey rocks. In the 19th and early 20th-century, the Life Saving Service (the forerunner of the Coast Guard) set up stations all along the coast, manned by mariners who would watch the ocean horizon [...]

Wanna out-history your neighbor’s historic house?  How about purchasing this 11th century manor house from Yorkshire, England, listed on eBay through March 5th?  The owner claims that there is “a rich history of characters who owned and lived at the Manor, back to the times of the Norman Conquest.”  The owner has apparenty done extensive [...]

Moving a house is always a spectacular affair that attracts a crowd. It’s the kind of thing that people come from far and wide to see. On one level, it’s hard to understand- the house moves slowly, there isn’t much action, and there are many stops and starts as power lines are maneuvered through, corners negotiated, and obstructing [...]