The things that I like about a house is the exterior decoration. I know that they come in many shapes and sizes and the older the house in most cases means there is more character to the house. My 109 year old house sucked me in for the buy because of the bay window. It is far more decorated than the rest of the house but it does give it a special look to make the old farmhouse a styled house special. In the background you can see a guys 1970's ranch style kitchen addition on a very old house that doesn't match the beauty of my bay window.
A four square styled farm house was built by my grandpa Burgus in the early 1900's. The house still stands but was moved from it original site north of Murray, Iowa to a small town of Lorimor, Iowa.
As an addition to the above house, here is the photo of my Grandpa and Grandma who built and lived in the house with their 10 children. They are mostly grown here and my grandparents moved to a smaller house probably 20 years later after it was built. They sold the farm and moved to another, in which they lost in the depression.
A diversion from the theme is this house that must have been a church or a school and now is a personal residence. It would cost a lot of money to restore it and I bet that they are doing it a little at a time. This building sits in Maine. It is on Mt. Dessert island near Bar Harbor, Maine.
An old house that had been abandoned for years. It sat in the town of Osceola, Iowa. It had the appearance of a common house but the interior showed a lot of loving carpentry work. The kitchen had many built in cupboards. The parlor had hand made paneling, each piece lovingly fitting together to make a wall full of 1800's paneling. The wrap around porch was probably well used. The two chimneys tell me that the kitchen stove used the left chimney and the other end of the house was heated by wood burners. The house is gone now but the large tree is still standing.
My grandmother Burgus stands in front of the single story house in Murray, Iowa. I can date this photo as my oldest brother was born in 1940. The window is full of flowers and cactus and still was when I came around in the 50's.
The house still stands with the bay window that held my grandmothers plants. It still has it's fancy porch with decorations. This was the last house that my grandparents lived in while the second house from the top was their first. The moved to two different farm houses before they came to live in town.
My maternal grandmother lived a block away from the house above, yes in Murray, Iowa. My mom lived here with my Grandmother Brooks after graduating from high school and during her years of teaching country school. I have many family pictures taken from in front of this house. My Uncle Kenny stands in front of the house. My reposted blog of last weeks Sepia Saturday shows on the first photo my two oldest brothers, when they were very young sitting outside on the ground in front of the porch.
The house still stands today also but one owner decided to tear off the second story and turned it into a 1950's Cape Cod looking house.
My grandmother Burgus stands in front of the single story house in Murray, Iowa. I can date this photo as my oldest brother was born in 1940. The window is full of flowers and cactus and still was when I came around in the 50's.
The house still stands with the bay window that held my grandmothers plants. It still has it's fancy porch with decorations. This was the last house that my grandparents lived in while the second house from the top was their first. The moved to two different farm houses before they came to live in town.
My maternal grandmother lived a block away from the house above, yes in Murray, Iowa. My mom lived here with my Grandmother Brooks after graduating from high school and during her years of teaching country school. I have many family pictures taken from in front of this house. My Uncle Kenny stands in front of the house. My reposted blog of last weeks Sepia Saturday shows on the first photo my two oldest brothers, when they were very young sitting outside on the ground in front of the porch.
The house still stands today also but one owner decided to tear off the second story and turned it into a 1950's Cape Cod looking house.
9 comments:
I really like Grandma Burgus's home in Murray, Iowa. It seems very cute and cozy.
Boy, o, boy, I can see getting sucked in by that beautiful bay window. A classic! The church or school restoration reminds me of the home that was crafted out of the old McPherson School near Springdale, WI. My gggrandfather James P. McPherson donated the corner of land for that first school ---and indeed helped build it. I was privileged to be invited in to view the old school house, now home.
Good pictures, fine history.
Lots of houses being moved from place to place in this Sepia Saturday round.
I completely understand how that bay window could suck you in. The same happened to me with our last house. I was not as old (circa WWII), but it had charm that the modern one I live in now can never really attain.
There's just something warm and cozy and inviting about a bay window!
Perhaps when you bought your house you were remembering your grandmother's bay window full of plants. I would have to have a window seat if it were mine, where I could sit and read or sew, but really be keeping an eye on what was going on in the street.
The part where you say the owner ripped off the second story and changed it into a Cape Cod house made me laugh. A relatively new neighbor, who I find very unlikeable due to his constant bragging, informed me that the house he'd bought was going to be changed into a Craftsman style house. I laughed at him and said, "Good luck with that." So all he did was slap shingles on it and painted it green. Maybe he'll try Cape Cod next.
Some lovely house photographs here, and I agree with you and everyone else about the bay window :-)
I always find that there is something remarkably geometric about America n houses - none of the twists and turns and odd angles that you find in old houses over here. The twists and turns may look more interesting but they are far less practical
Beautiful collection of house photos...
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