Historic House Blog

Historic houses and the Christmas season seem very compatible.  They just go together.  Both, in their own way, seem to embody tradition, nostalgia, the bonds of family, and c0ntinuity over time.  Perhaps this is why there are few things that strike me as more classical than a beautiful historic home decked out in traditional Christmas [...]

“This Old House” magazine has declared its best historic house neighborhoods for 2011, releasing an extensive report featuring 64 neighborhoods from all over North America.  So as to not leave out anyone, 1 neighborhood was chosen for each U.S. state and 1 for each Canadian province. The magazine editors say that  these “best” historic neighborhoods [...]

We usually stick to American topics here on HHB–  but, wow, this property “across the pond” really caught my eye. Up for auction on November 23rd in the U.K. is this incredible, post-Tudor, sandstone block property, which is “reputed to be one of the oldest houses in Wirral,” dating to the year 1627.  Yeah . . . that’s [...]

A FREE workshop on historic house research is to be held at the Birmingham Public Library on Saturday, July 18th.  Sponsored by the Jefferson County Historical Commission & the Birmingham Historical Society, the event will feature 3 speakers and 2 authors who will be signing books.   The event starts at 9:30am, at the Central Library [...]

As we roll into summer, lots of great historic house & garden tours are drawing admiring crowds of old house lovers. This coming Saturday, the historical society in Mathews County, Virginia, is holding its 4th “Mathews Historic House Tour.”  The tour is one of the most important fundraisers for the organization, and requires over 200 [...]

It is almost that time of year again, as Goodrich & Company rolls out the schedule for their 2nd annual “New England Historic Home Show” in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on April 17th, 18th, and 19th (Friday – Sunday).  We at the Historic House Blog attended the inaugural show last year, and found it to be an enjoyable & [...]

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 [...]

It’s the largest national event for tradespeople and enthusiasts interested in renovating, remodeling, and restoring historic homes, and this year it will be held in Boston from March 12th to the 14th. The Traditional Building Exhibition and Conference offers a unique opportunity for more than 4,000 architects, contractors, builders, developers, planners, real estate professionals, and old-house owners to [...]

I thought that since it is Valentine’s Day, it was a good excuse to feature this unique historic house & promote the non-profits that operate this property as a museum. Blacksmith Isaac Valentine built this four-level fieldstone farmhouse in 1758 near the Boston Post Road. His property included a blacksmith shop, outhouses, farmland, and a number of [...]

Just after the New Year, we wrote about how more & more REALTORs host tours of historic houses as a unique marketing tool, as a way to attract buyers of historic homes.  (Read that post here).   Next week, near Chicago, five real estate agencies are collaborating to host an impressive historic house tour in the swanky [...]