House histories?

[Kahuna]

I was wondering whether any of you forumites might be willing to share any histories of the house you live in. Several years ago while tearing out plaster in a closet we converted to a half bath I found this note inside the wall (last name deleted to protect privacy of the family)

I know it's a little hard to read. It's written on builder's paper and has been walled up inside the house for 60+ years. Here's what it says:
M.H. F******** (age 42)
March 16, 1947
Post Falls, Idaho
R #1
Builder, Price of house $7,500
A.G. F******** (Owner)
Railway Mail Clerk (age 46)

Armed with that information I was able to find a couple people with the same last name who still live in Post Falls. On the first call I found out the builder was his dad. It was a little emotional for him as I happened to call him on Father's Day and his dad would have been 100. I emailed him a picture of the note and he was quite happy to see his dad's handwriting from beyond the grave on Father's Day. After telling me several stories about the house, which his uncle lived in and he visited only occasionally he sent me this picture of the two brothers, the builder (left) and owner (right) of the house. It's just a nondescript ranch house from the 40's, nothing special, but it's kind of cool to know a little bit about the people who built it.

Anybody else have any stories about their house or tips on how to further research house histories?

 

[Heater]

This is our house. We had just moved to Kansas from California. We were researching my wifes family on ancestry.com and foud her great-great grand parents lived near us (her great grandfather was a Civil War vet, my wife has his original typewritten memiors that were dictated near the end of his life in this house in th eearly 1930s).

We went to see the address and the house was for sale. It was built in 1912 and my wifes relatives lived there until the about 1940. It had been used as a bed and breakfast and a meeting center. When we moved in we found a box of stuff in a window seat, mostly old newspaper clippings and a picture of my wife's relatives, it survived all these years.

Here is the house:

This is me as a "Zootshooter" boot legger with my semi auto Thompson

 

[Kahuna]

This is our house. We had just moved to Kansas from California. We were researching my wifes family on ancestry.com and foud her great-great grand parents lived near us (her great grandfather was a Civil War vet, my wife has his original typewritten memiors that were dictated near the end of his life in this house in th eearly 1930s).

We went to see the address and the house was for sale. It was built in 1912 and my wifes relatives lived there until the about 1940. It had been used as a bed and breakfast and a meeting center. When we moved in we found a box of stuff in a window seat, mostly old newspaper clippings and a picture of my wife's relatives, it survived all these years.

Wow, great looking house! Kind of has the Alamo thing going on that was so popular in that era. Our Carnegie Library, built in 1905 has the same profile on its roofline. And how lucky that you were able to move back into the house your wife's relatived occupied.

 

[Heater]

Thanks, We feel pretty lucky. We have some vintage goodies and we're trying to finish furnishing the house on our meager budget. There is a name for this kind of archeticture, I just don't know enough about it.

 

[Kahuna]

I think it's Mission Revival style. It started in California with an interest in the Missions there and was the first architectural style that spread from the west to the east. Most of that style is in the southwest but it did make its way to some odd locations. There are a couple examples in my town in Idaho. There's a quick overview here:
http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/styles/mission-revival.htm

 

[Foofoogal]

I happened to call him on Father's Day and his dad would have been 100.

Wow, best thread of the year IMHO. Fabulous stories from both of you. I am an avid watcher of "If Walls Could Talk" television show.

 

[kampkatz]

Lovely house. Todays building materials don't come close to being as solid as what you have.

 

[Talbot]

I have since moved and can't offer pics, but had a nice experience in my last house. My wife and I were working in the front yard of our house when some passers by stopped to talk. Turns out their grandparents built the house in '28.

We took them through the house. Not much had changed (except the garden was more established). They returned and treated us to photos through the years, and a clipping showing that the outdoor barbecue won an award in 1954 Australian Home Beautiful!

 

[Heater]

I think it's Mission Revival style. It started in California with an interest in the Missions there and was the first architectural style that spread from the west to the east. Most of that style is in the southwest but it did make its way to some odd locations. There are a couple examples in my town in Idaho. There's a quick overview here:
http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/styles/mission-revival.htm

Thanks for that sight, the house is definately a mix of foursquare and mision revival style. I'l try to post some interior pics as well.

 

[AmateisGal]

This is our house. We had just moved to Kansas from California. We were researching my wifes family on ancestry.com and foud her great-great grand parents lived near us (her great grandfather was a Civil War vet, my wife has his original typewritten memiors that were dictated near the end of his life in this house in th eearly 1930s).

We went to see the address and the house was for sale. It was built in 1912 and my wifes relatives lived there until the about 1940. It had been used as a bed and breakfast and a meeting center. When we moved in we found a box of stuff in a window seat, mostly old newspaper clippings and a picture of my wife's relatives, it survived all these years.

Here is the house:

This is me as a "Zootshooter" boot legger with my semi auto Thompson

GORGEOUS house! :eusa_clap

 

[Kahuna]

I have since moved and can't offer pics, but had a nice experience in my last house. My wife and I were working in the front yard of our house when some passers by stopped to talk. Turns out their grandparents built the house in '28.

We took them through the house. Not much had changed (except the garden was more established). They returned and treated us to photos through the years, and a clipping showing that the outdoor barbecue won an award in 1954 Australian Home Beautiful!

Last year we got a piece of mail addressed to a former resident of our house, recognized the last name and looked them up in the phone book. When they came to pick up their mail they were able to answer some questions about the original design of the kitchen which was remodeled a year or two before we moved in. From their description it sounded as if the kitchen badly needed remodeling. They promised to try and locate some pictures but didn't come through. I would love to see how it looked.

 

[Tatum]

Oooh, what a great thread, and great homes and stories! Here is a bit history on our home, as told to me and hubby by the gentleman that grew up in our house, Mr. P...

The house was built in 1921. During WWII, many servicemen were in our area and their families had nowhere to stay during training. Mrs. P offered lodging to many of these families, to the point that the P. family ended up living in the back covered porch while the servicemen and families occupied the four bedrooms, living room and dining room. Mr. P. recounts many stories of these lodgers!

There is a lot more history, but then I don't have internet anonymity....here is a photo taken circa 1940.

 

[Kahuna]

The house was built in 1921. During WWII, many servicemen were in our area and their families had nowhere to stay during training. Mrs. P offered lodging to many of these families, to the point that the P. family ended up living in the back covered porch while the servicemen and families occupied the four bedrooms, living room and dining room. Mr. P. recounts many stories of these lodgers!

Nice house and interesting story! Looking out my window at nothing but snow it's warming just to see the palm trees in that picture. Any other stories out there? Famous or infamous occupants or deeds commited in your house? Long family histories? Hauntings?

 

[Dav]

Not any really great stories that I know to go with this house apart from being built in 1873 as part of the local squires estate, just thought you might like to see it.

 

[Kahuna]

Not any really great stories that I know to go with this house apart from being built in 1873 as part of the local squires estate, just thought you might like to see it.

Wow, amazing house! A house like that looks like it will last a thousand years, as opposed to the "build 'em fast, build 'em cheap" drywall junk they're putting up nowdays.

 

[Missy Hellfire]

Our house is neither old nor pretty but I do love where we live. My home is a 1950s built RAF house on the base that the Dam Busters squadron was based at during World War 2. The place still has so many of its 1950s features which I love, including a lovely serving hatch into the dining room and the original picture rails and cupboard fittings. The RAF camp where we live became a Vulcan Bomber base after the Lancaster squadrons left and our house (amongst many others) was built on the old dispersal ground for the Lancaster Bombers in order to house the many new personnel and their families. The housing was sold off to civilians when the place was dramatically downscaled but the RAF aerobatic display team The Red Arrows are now based here and I get to watch them practice over my house which is a complete joy and the old WW2 officers mess where the Dam Busters used to hang out in addition to the WW2 hangars and outbuildings are just a stone's throw from my house. During the summer, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster Bomber flew over on a low pass and almost took our chimney pots off, we ran to the airfield fence in the hope that we would see her land but she pulled up and went on her way. I don't think that I have ever loved living anywhere as much as I love living here. It is only a rented place, but we one day hope to be in a position to buy either the place that we are in or one very like it close by! I don't have a nice picture of the place but frankly it isn't much to look it, it is where it stands that is the true joy.

 

[p71towny]

Our house was built in 1915 here in the small Midwestern town of Monroeville IN. I have the abstract going all the way back to when it was the Swifts farm lot and then sold off in sections. The woman who lived here bought it in 1940 I believe but had to go to the nursing home in about 2005 as it was too much for her and her daughter to keep up on. Sadly she just recently passed away in October. Her husband did a very good job of keeping up on the place and worked at the local school as a maintenance guy. (Thats actually how I found this site, looking for old pictures of our town lol.) I found a board while I was cleaning up some stuff that states; "This double hung window placed here by August Fuelling Dec. 2 1941 under president Roosevelt's new deal when Germany is at war with all the world." The spelling isn't so great because August was the German immigrant father of the man who owned the house. He helped Melvin quite a bit when they first purchased the house. When the daughter sold this place to us in 2007 she was so afraid we were going to let the place go or totally modernize it. She was quite relived when I told her I wanted to restore it. She lives in town here and stops by every now and then. Since 07 I've done the boring work, the stuff you can's see, waterproofing the basement, structural repairs, wiring, you know boring crap that has to be done before you can make it pretty. The last update it had was in the 70s. Blech! But its in good shape. I also had a woman in her mid 70s stop by who was born in the house downstairs before the previous owners lived here.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I wish I knew something about my house. All I know is that the building was built sometime during the turn of the century. Like most of the downtown storefronts here.

 

[Zombie_61]

My wife and I are the current owners of the house my parents bought new in 1952 for $14,000. Our house and the house next door were both built by the father of the gentleman who lived next door (with his wife, until he passed away a couple of years ago). After my father passed on in 1987 and my mother moved in 1988 my sister and her husband rented the house from my mother for nearly 10 years before moving. My wife and I had the house renovated in early 1998 and moved into it July 3rd of that year.

 

[Talbot]

Our house is neither old nor pretty but I do love where we live. My home is a 1950s built RAF house on the base that the Dam Busters squadron was based at during World War 2. The place still has so many of its 1950s features which I love, including a lovely serving hatch into the dining room and the original picture rails and cupboard fittings. The RAF camp where we live became a Vulcan Bomber base after the Lancaster squadrons left and our house (amongst many others) was built on the old dispersal ground for the Lancaster Bombers in order to house the many new personnel and their families. The housing was sold off to civilians when the place was dramatically downscaled but the RAF aerobatic display team The Red Arrows are now based here and I get to watch them practice over my house which is a complete joy and the old WW2 officers mess where the Dam Busters used to hang out in addition to the WW2 hangars and outbuildings are just a stone's throw from my house. During the summer, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster Bomber flew over on a low pass and almost took our chimney pots off, we ran to the airfield fence in the hope that we would see her land but she pulled up and went on her way. I don't think that I have ever loved living anywhere as much as I love living here. It is only a rented place, but we one day hope to be in a position to buy either the place that we are in or one very like it close by! I don't have a nice picture of the place but frankly it isn't much to look it, it is where it stands that is the true joy.

Heck, I'd just love to visit! Sounds fantastic.