Historic House Blog

“Preservation Nation,” the blog of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recently featured a remarkable property for sale in Germantown (Philadelphia), PA.  Though it’s dubbed “The Clarkson-Watson House,” the property at 5275 Germantown Avenue has a couple of even higher-profile names attached . . . Jefferson & Washington. Read more…

So, it’s Halloween . . . and with Halloween comes ghosts.  And where are the ghosts?  Well, usually, they’re in historic homes!  Why is that?  The answer, in some ways, seems obvious.  Historic houses have been around for at least a couple of generations, if not several centuries.  Certainly, they are much more likely to have witnessed death or tragedy or turmoil.  And since old houses have lots of creaks, groans, and nail pops as their old wooden boards settle and shift, they are more likely to “sound” haunted.  Further, the architecture of days-gone-by may just look more creepy and mysterious to contemporary sensibilities (in my opinion, Gothic style or Second Empire houses almost beg to be haunted).  So, put it all together, and you’ve got fertile ground for goosebumps.  Read more…

Can a crazy neighbor, bored building inspectors, and a complacent city government halt a homeowner’s dedicated preservation efforts— and result in criminal noncompliance charges?  Apparently so, according to the owner of an old house in Lakewood, OH, a suburb of Cleveland.  In a recent posting on her blog, “1914 Foursquare,” the owner, “Nina,” shares the two-year-long saga of her work to restore a 1914 Craftsman-styled Foursquare while dealing with an intolerant neighbor and a local bureaucracy that seems as inept as it is callous.  She reportedly enjoys the support the local historical society, the Cleveland Restoration Society, and all of her other neighbors, yet the owner has received sporadic notices and citations and has made several trips to court  Read more…

In East Hampton, NY, located at 223 Main Street, is a remarkable property offered for sale by owner.  This unique house, which at first glance could be mistaken for a more recent, Shingle-style vacation home, was likely built in 1718 and has thus witnessed nearly three centuries of history in East Hampton village.  The house was long ago dubbed “Third House” by Aymar Embury, a prominent architect and former owner who purchased the property in 1928.  There were plenty of reasons for his quirky “Third House” moniker, but a grandson & current owner, Edward Embury, Jr., shares at least three reasons:  Read more…

I had not realized just how much of a market had developed for historic log cabins.  Old log houses.  Antique log buildings.  Pioneer log homes.  Whatever you want to call them.

I’ve been fascinated with pioneers’ cabins since I was a kid.  When I was in 4th grade, my dad rented an old farmhouse near Deer Creek State Park in Ohio.  The farmhouse itself was unremarkable, but I was awestruck when Dad showed me a rear “addition” on the house that was actually an old pioneer’s cabin.  Read more…

It’s Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown, New York!  Yes, and every baseball fan knows what that means:  a few of baseball’s best players ever will be forever enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, with their bronze plaques added to the hallowed “Gallery” honoring the game’s greatest like Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, & Nolan Ryan.  This year’s honorees include pitcher Bert Blyleven and 2nd basemen Roberto Alomar.

I’ve been a baseball fan since 3rd grade and I’ve loved Cooperstown since my first visit in 4th grade.  It’s the “mecca” for baseball fans.  But for me, the thrill is not only baseball-related.  Cooperstown has history, culture, & it is absolutely beautiful.  Located on the shores of stunning Otsego Lake, the village of Cooperstown features early-19th century homes, Victorians, a quaint downtown, ancient shade trees, & lush landscaping (this photo on Flickr is an example of what I mean).  And there’s lots of cool stuff to do.  Right there in town is the famous Fennimore Art Museum, the Farmer’s Museum (an historic village), the Leatherstocking Golf Course, the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, and just a few miles outside of town, the famous Glimmerglass Opera, the Ommegang Brewery (yummy Belgian-style ales!), the architectural gem Hyde Hall (ca. 1817), and even the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta.  But every time I visit, I am probably most enamored with the great old houses there.  The village is full of beautiful historic houses.  Perhaps my favorite house to fantasize about owning is The Inn at Cooperstown (pictured at upper left, but not for sale!). Read more…

Before-and-After pictures of restorations at neat old houses always warm my heart.  This one in particular caught my eye while perusing MyOldHouseOnline.  User PStewart posted an amazing pair of interior pics of his beautiful, Gothic-influenced Queen Anne Victorian in Oswego, New York (in north-central New York, on Lake Ontario).  The “Swits-Churchill-Conde House,” circa 1889, had fallen into the hands of college kids & had become a fraternity house . . . until PStewart purchased the house with a mission to rescue it and restore its grandeur.  Check out this cool before-and-after transformation of the entryway… Read more…

A classified-style listing (for sale by owner) on eBay offers the former home of Governor John J. Crittenden (1787-1863).  Crittenden was not just a prominent figure in Kentucky; he was also a nationally-known politician during the antebellum era.  In addition to being Kentucky’s 17th governor, John Crittenden represented Kentucky in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and twice served as United States Attorney General (under William Henry Harrison and Millard Fillmore), and was “frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for the U.S. presidency,” though he never did choose to run for the office.  The house now listed for sale is located in Russellville, Kentucky and was the Crittenden’s family home from 1811 to 1818.

Offered at $239,000, the yellow Federal style home flashes nice curb appeal on the outside, and 3,500 sqft of elegant-looking living space on the inside.  It has unique construction, having been built half timber frame (1809 portion) and half brick (1820 portion) — the latter apparently “post-Crittenden.”  The owner’s eBay listing explains Read more…

Looking for a one-of-a-kind, super-cool historic property with ties to legendary American history?  This property, sometimes called “The Christian Byers Farm & Civil War Hospital,” is located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania–  the site of the famous “turning point”  battle of the U.S. Civil War.  And as you can tell from the name, the farm actually played a role in the historic battle.   (And if you’re into the supernatural . . . well, talk about a reason to look for ghosts!)  Apparently used as a field hospital for at least 100 men at one time, Read more…

Georgian architecture was the dominant style of 18th century America.  This style is called Georgian because it was dominant from approximately the reign of King George I who ascended the throne in 1711, until the end of the American Revolution (King George III).  By the early 1700s, English colonies in America were a bit more prosperous, and the wealthier people wanted to “upgrade” to a larger & fancier style to set themselves apart and emulate the English. They began to import the “Georgian” style – first in the larger towns & cities, as well as river valleys, then gradually to the countryside. This style departed from medieval influences and reflected the Roman Classicism popularized in the Italian Renaissance (by Andrea Palladio).  This style was made more accessible through printed books on architecture from England called “pattern books.” The Georgian style was fairly homogeneous from Maine through the southern states.

What to look for:
One prominent feature of Georgian architecture is symmetry & a box-like (rectangular) form (quite a departure from post-medieval homes.   Many Georgian houses were 2 rooms deep (four rooms over four rooms), though some farmhouses were still just one room deep on each side. Georgian houses usually featured a paneled front door, centered on the facade of the house, and often topped with a decorative crown or pediment; but again, “country” versions (farmhouses) did not necessarily have any elaborate ornamentation (SEE BELOW).   Read more…