One of our favorite posts in our entire archive is this one about hearing from our first house’s original owners. It was so much fun to see photos of their family in our house back in the 60’s, and we studied every inch of each picture and relished every detail that they shared in their letter.
We were also friendly with the people who sold us our second house, so although we never heard from the original owners, it was really great to know the sellers who had lived there for 22 years! So we always hoped to hear from the original owners of our current house. For a while… nothing. And then it happened! We actually met their daughter-in-law Chris at an event here in Richmond a few months back and big hugs ensued. There’s nothing better than hearing how special a house that you love is to another family, and she gave us permission to share some snippets from a letter that she sent us along with some old photos, so here it goes!
The house you are currently in has had a wonderful history of family memories. My husband’s parents bought it when his dad was transferred to Richmond from Cleveland, Ohio over 30 years ago. They had just become “empty nesters” so they searched for the right house in a perfect location for their future grandchildren to come visit. As a matter of fact, the first of their grandchildren was on the way during their move! It was a crazy time for them, buying the house under construction and moving from 500 miles away. They somehow fit in traveling to Texas for the birth of the first grandson, and saw the births of nine more grandchildren, and one great-grandchild while living there! They were dog lovers and brought their beloved dog, Chelsea, an English Foxhound, with them to Richmond. Sometime after she literally disappeared into the woods one day, another dog (Lady) followed my mother-in-law home. She was well loved and stayed with them a long time.
My husband and I lived in Richmond during the births of all four of our children. Before they were born we acquired our first “child,” a dog from the Richmond SPCA. We took her directly to the house to visit “grandma and grandpa” before even taking her to our own home!
All of our children remember the house as a place we celebrated Christmas Eve every year, plus multiple birthdays and other holidays (this photo was taken in the back porch, which you call the converted sunroom, around 20 years ago).
My father-in-law used to put a Christmas tree in almost every room of the house, and they were always decorated to perfection. He used to play a game with our kids, “find the ornament.” He would spy an ornament on the tree, and the kids would see who could be the first to find it. It wasn’t easy! He had hundreds on one tree alone!
My mother-in-law was a fantastic cook and had us over not only for celebrations but just because she felt like cooking. The kitchen was extremely well used and well loved by all. She would spend days baking cookies to take to Virginia Beach every year, when some years all three of her children and ten grandchildren would also be there.
There was an antique chandelier hanging in the kitchen that was precious to my mother-in-law. It belonged to her grandmother. She loved it, but it hung so low everyone knocked their head into it at least once in their visits there! It was removed before the house was sold.
The outside deck and back porch were added by them after moving in. They used the porch on a daily basis, him reading the newspaper and her doing her needlepoint pillows (this is a photo of my mother-in-law presenting one of her pillows to my daughter in the living room).
The tree in the middle of the deck (that you have removed) was just a small thing when they decided to build the deck around it. They wanted to keep it for the shade it provided. It really got huge!
It is really nice to be able to see what you are doing to make the house your own. I love the hardwood floors you have put in upstairs and really like the stenciling you did on the bathroom floor. Your daughter’s room is where my mother-in-law slept during her later years. She would be so happy to see new life there, with the fun girly room you have put together! I also really love how you transformed the half bath downstairs. It is so much brighter and clean looking! I’m looking forward to seeing more improvements in the future. I wish you many years of happiness in your home! – Chris
We’re so grateful to Chris for reaching out and sharing those details and photos with us! It was amazing to hear that the tree on the deck was tiny once. Remember how big it was when we had it taken down?
We realize this letter may not be as touching for you guys, but it was so heartwarming to us. To have a better sense of the life this house has lived and how it has been loved by so many people (filled with grandchildren, home cooking, and Christmas trees) makes us feel so grateful to be here. As a total bonus, we also heard from Erin, one of the grandkids who grew up visiting this house. Here’s her letter:
I’m one of the 10 grandchildren of the original owners of your current house. My mom shared your blog and I am blown away. The house looks wonderful! I have so many fond memories from that house. I am so thankful that you two have moved in and have posted pictures of your updates to the house. Thank you for providing a way for me to still feel connected to the house and for bringing new life to its foundation. – Erin
Amazing, right? It really is awesome to hear from others who are essentially strangers, yet you share something so personal with them: the love of a home.
Have you ever heard from your home’s original owners? Or uncovered anything cool in the house (like this stuff that we found buried under the original cabinets in our first house’s kitchen)? I can’t wait to see if we’ll discover anything when we open up some walls and redo the kitchen! So far all that has turned up is an old water bill from ten years ago in the bottom of the trash compactor.
Davin says
I’m a guy, buuuut I’ll admit this made me a little misty eyed. A little. :) Sometimes I’ll kick back on the couch in our little 50’s ranch and wonder about previous owners, and how they might have gone about their lives in the space we now occupy. We’ve heard though that our house was a rental until the previous owner bought it in the mid 90’s. It’d be hard to find the first tenant, or the original owner, but we’d love to see some photos of it in all of its original 50’s charm.
This post was a great idea. Thanks for sharing, Petersiks!
Harriet says
After my mother died suddenly 3 years ago we had to clean out her house and sell it. We left some furniture and, because my mother loved butterflies, we left a few of her tokens in the house. We were amazed to get a lovely letter from the lady who bought her house. She calls it ‘the butterfly house’ and says that she feels an aura of love in the house. I know my mother would have loved that! The woman also paid to have a bench installed in the neighborhood in honor of my parents. It was such a difficult time for us but knowing that her memory lives on, even with people who didn’t know her, is very comforting.
Jess says
That was a nice letter, it’s great to know the history of your home!
We were lucky enough to buy our first home from it’s original owners/builders. The son had to act on his parents’ behalf because of their age and medical state, but he was so kind and gave us so much helpful information.
The most striking thing for me about our home is how different people seemed to go about life back in the day. This couple with young children built their one and only home in 1960 with land given to them by family with plans purchased from a company in Chicago. Bonus: I have the original blueprints, they saved them all these years. They planted maple trees after the house was finished and now years later we can enjoy lovely mature trees, our yard looks like a park.
Not only was it their only home but they raised 2 children in it with 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bath, and 1644 sqft. They never felt the need to do large renovations or additions, they lived in this modest house and raised kids who obviously had to learn to share and get along. We purchased a time capsule of 1960 complete with original kitchen, bathrooms and wall paper…and probably some of the carpet and drapes. The original kitchen is shockingly neutral and with new flooring and wall paint really isn’t so out of place in 2014. The original oven and cooktop STILL WORK! The main bathroom is in remarkably good condition so we’re going to have someone re-enamel all the tile work and tub. Every wall in the house is dual layer plaster, not horsehair, but the rock hard sort which makes everything easier (hang stuff, bump into it with furniture, peel off wallpaper). They built the house in ways that exceed current code, like the 1.5″ thick plywood subfloors and the 12″ on center floor joist spacing. I love all the quirky, clever, forward thinking details – the lovely arches in the main living area, the open concept layout (in 1960??), the shockingly large bedrooms with ample closet space, the WALK IN CLOSET in the master bedroom, the hallway closets (freaking 3 of them) with automatic light switches built into the door hinge.
Sure, some things about an old home are a big PITA (why the hell did you put a sump pump THERE?), but as a generally vintage loving person I couldn’t imagine living in a brand new home. That a family built, lived and loved this home for 50 freaking years is wonderful.
Lynn Wolf says
Our house in Northern CA is a 1973 split level ranch that we have updated over the years inside and out. The original family that built our house had left the original plans along with a blk/wht 8 10 photo of the house being built. So fun to see the house in this early state along the surrounding land around it as it was one of the first to be built in this neighborhood. The land had been ow ed by a rancher that sold the land. Pretty cool to get this history! We will definitely leave all this documentation for future owners.
So glad that you were able to make this connection and learn some history of your home.
Janine says
I have a bunch of stories about previous owners!
The house that I grew up in was a custom built home, and the people who built it lived next door! They built the house for their son, and he briefly lived in it but moved on, and it ended up being ours. One grandson in the family died young, but on one visit to our house he wrote his name in pencil on the brick in our kitchen. We very carefully kept it there, and when I was a little girl, I wrote in chalk on the brick fireplace “Janine’s Time Machine”. My parents divorced, the house was sold and then sold again to the son who the house had been built for in the first place!! and then he moved on again!! and then it was sold to a lovely couple who improved it significantly with many fantastic additions. Then my father bought it back (not even kidding now) and the house came with a letter that mentioned that the chalk writing on the brick downstairs was being preserved because it was part of the house’s history, as well as the grandson’s name. The legacy of the previous owners is all over the house, and we’ve actually met MANY of the previous owners over the years. It’s absolutely lovely, having shared this amazing house with so many people who all cared for it.
Our current house (that we bought last November and moved into this February) was sold three years ago by a lady who’s family had grown up and left. The people who bought it from her neglected the house seriously, and then put it up for sale. We bought it, and this spring as we were cleaning out the yard and admiring the new roof we’d just had put on, her son and his daughter walked up to talk to us. They visit the neighbourhood all the time and were amazed to find us there. They couldn’t believe that the house had been so neglected in the previous three years and had kinda stopped looking when they stopped by. The son told us about having to explain to his daughter that “grandpa would never have let the gardens look like that.” He was so surprised to meet us, and seemed really hopeful that the house would be loved again. He’s in for a big surprise because yeah, we LOVE the house and we’re really going to take care of it.
I love previous owner visits. <3
Tiffini S. says
I grew up in Washington, IL, in a house right off the historic square. It was built in the 1890’s. When I lived there, it was decorated in glorious late 70’s orange shag carpeting and various gold, plastic angels.
Several years after we moved in, the building two doors down (which previously housed a “paint your own ceramics” joint) was turned into a historical society for the town. I had a wealth of information about our house and neighborhood at my fingertips! It was awesome and I spent a lot of time there until we moved to a newer house a few years later. The current owners have added on and changed the look of the house- it’s completely unrecognizable. Even the name of the street has been changed. But I know it inside and out and I always consider it “my house.”
We’re moving back to the area in a couple of weeks, and next summer my husbands relocation contract with his company will be up so we’ll be able to buy a home. I’m secretly hoping my house is up for sale! Of course, I remember how much work old houses are, and I’m also secretly hoping it isn’t!
Kelly says
We bought our 1936 house on September 29, 2000. The next day (my birthday, no less), there was a knock on the door, and standing on the front steps was a woman who told me her father built this house and she had grown up here. She was in town for her 50th high school reunion and wanted to show the little playhouse in the backyard, built a few years after the house, to some friends who were with her. I was thrilled! She told me about the secret compartment and the time capsule hidden in the enclosed back porch. Later she sent me a large envelope containing old photos of the house (including one of her as a little girl standing in front of the newly poured foundation) and newspaper articles about her dad. The day before, when we first arrived at our new (old) house, we found a cardboard tube on the counter containing the original blueprints and specs. For someone with a preservation background, it couldn’t get any better.
paige says
My parents actually bought the house my dad grew up in! It’s been in our family for about 43 years now. It’s an old Victorian in Massachusetts so the previous owners are probably long gone. My grandparents moved in when my dad was a baby (and he’s the youngest of 5) so those 5 kids plus all of us grandkids (12 total!) have grown up in that house. My parents have done a lot of renovating too, mostly because horsehair plaster needs to be updated. They do one room at a time, and in the kitchen they found “insulation” in the walls consisting of everything from old newspapers to baby shoes. It’s been amazing to see the house change over the years!
Kelly says
I too love this stuff it’s part of the fun, for me, of buying an existing home vs. new construction. I’ve never met any previous owners but did read up on a lot of the history of the first condo I owned – it was in a converted building where they used to build ships, so it had a very interesting history.
Rebecca says
Our current home was purchased in a short sale. The owner left behind all sorts of fun stuff for us, vintage Playboy calendar collection, his kids school reports, and his cats. Yup, the jerk left his cats behind. Kept telling us he would come get them. Nope. Both outdoor only cats, we managed to get one to the shelter for adoption (this was no easy task and resulted in catching raccoons and skunks in the process). The other one is still around and we feed in outside as our step-cat. I did score an awesome vintage green glass deviled egg plate. I think your story is much more touching. I’m happy to never have to deal with our previous owner again.
Julia says
I loved read this! We bought our house a year ago from a couple who had been living there for 40 years. They sold it so they could move into a retirement community and we’ve remained very close with them. They pop in every couple of months to say hi and see the kids. Out of all their kids they only ended up with one grandson whose is 16 now and my babies don’t really have any grandparents close by so it’s really sweet.
Anna Darcy says
Great post! Thought I’d share this article which I came across in the Huffington Post which shows the best DIY blogs, and yours is second on the list –
The 17 Best DIY Blogs
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/domino/the-17-best-diy-blogs_b_5485411.html
Congrats! I love all your posts and was overjoyed to see your name on it!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Anna! We’re so honored to be among so many great blogs :)
xo
s
Andrea Verwys says
I adore this post! I love knowing the history of my houses, why the people did what they have did, and memories that it held. I try to keep in touch with former owners but it can freak them out a little!!!
samantha says
My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to buy his grandparents little farm from them 3 years ago. (the house was built in 1920) A friend met up with the original owner/builders family!! They were just kids when the house was built, but they are excited to come and visit with us this summer. Our house/property was in their family for 100+ years, and has been in our family for 25 years. I can’t wait to hear all the stories they have!
Rachael McGuinness says
Love this! We have been in our first home for 3 years now. When we purchased it, in the dining area, there was a full length mirror on the wall and 4 holes in the ceiling and the tile, which obviously is where the pole went!!!! Not syre I want to know what the former owners of our little beach house were up to!!! ;)
bethany says
We bought a home that was built in 1936 and we are the third owners. The original owners raised three sons here, Tom, sick, and Harry. We touched base with a granddaughter of the original owners and ended up having her and her husband over to see the place. Her family lived here 50 years and she spent every holiday here with her cousins. They shared old photos which we poured over as well. We have kept in touch with her and several of her cousins on Facebook. It really is awesome. Hugs and thanks for the post.
Taylor says
That’s so cool! We moved in to our “new” house last year and there are sooooo many ppls names that come on the mail here like 15 different last names haha! It’s only 20 years old! Anyway when we moved in we found a ticket behind the cabinets for a DWI Hahaha!
Kristin says
This may be one of my favorite posts! I’m sitting here with tears in my eyes thinking what a gift this is. A gift to you that you get to hear some of the stories that took place in your dear home, and also a gift to the previous owners’ family that they get to see the home that they loved so dearly, being loved by a whole new family.
Years ago, after my grandmother sold her house in New Jersey and moved to Vermont, the current owners contacted my father to invite him to a parade of homes that their house was participating in. My father was not able to attend, so the current owners said that if he ever wanted to come see the house, he was more than welcome to. One Thanksgiving, while my grandmother and aunt were visiting from Vermont, we were all invited to visit the house. I cried through the whole tour, reminiscing of all the Thanksgivings and random dinners that we spent in that dear home. I cried because I missed that big old house and because I missed my dear grandfather, but I also cried because I was so happy to see that home being so dearly loved and cared for by the new owners.
Jenelle says
When my parents redid their kitchen a couple years ago, we all wrote a little essay about the house, put it in a ziploc and buried it behind a wall. We included memories of growing up in the house, the history of the house, maybe even a photo or two – and other smooshy things like that. It’s like our own secret little time capsule that we all hope someone finds in 50 years!
Kathleen says
This is so sweet! So much love in that house! Last summer I took my husband to the town I grew up in. We went to my elementary school and drove by my old house. Unfortunately it had been gated, so we could only see so much of it, but my neighbors were having a garage sale so we stopped in. I moved from that house when I was about 11, so I was very surprised when my old neighbor, Rosa, recognized me! It was lots of fun to catch up, but she told me that the man who bought our house was causing all kinds of drama. We had quarter mile or half mile driveway that we let other houses use, and he fenced it off so they had to build their own! Then he threatened to sue them for parking their RV where he could see it when he drove up – he didn’t like the way it looked. It made me so sad to think a Scrooge was living in the home I so loved…
Jerri says
This might be my favorite post! Homes hold so much meaning to me. I recently went back to my old house to visit. The current owners are renting and didn’t seem to care much for the house, other than the income they got from it. It meant so much to me to see it again. It was so different and almost didn’t seem like the same house. It is so special of the previous owners to send you letters and pictures.
Sharon says
I love this post, and knowing that I’m not the only one sentimental about their home. Our house is at least 140 years old! The original owners lived here about 30 years, then the 2nd family had it for two generations and 90 years. The people we bought it from only lived here a few years, long enough to fix it up to sell, so we are only the 3rd “long term” owners.
Very little has changed other than modernizing – the footprint has not changed, and we wouldn’t dream of touching the original wood floors, wavy glass transoms or other historic features that give it such character.
Both of the “house families” were very large with many kids and grandkids and we’ve been lucky enough to meet many of them and hear the stories of life here. I actually found the descendants of the original family on Ancestry.com while researching the house history – they had no idea the house still existed. They have been, en masse, to visit several times, and have brought me copies of family portraits (which now hang in our hallway) and, incredibly, a cutting from a plant which was started by their great-grandmother, who was the youngest daughter of the house and was married here in the parlor in 1891!
Many family members have stopped by and we gladly invite them in. I love hearing how special this house was, and they love seeing that it still is. Several of them have cried, and I’ve received the sweetest thank you notes. We feel the history of this place, and it fills our hearts.
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
Aww this story made me a little bit teary. I love that you can picture all their family gatherings in your house and know that it was well-loved before you moved in.
When we bought our house, along with the general flyer the agents hand out was a note from the owner detailing why she loves the house so much from walking the kids to school through the little park down the end to entertaining in the big kitchen and playing outside undercover with her boys even when it’s raining. Don’t tell my husband but as soon as I read it I could see myself doing the same and in my mind the house was ours!
Tristen Engelman says
I know I’m a little late responding to this post but I’ve got a story that goes along perfectly with this post. My husband and I have been in our home for a year and four months. We bought it as a foreclosure because I’ve always wanted our home because my grandparents are the builders of our home. They built our home in 1976 and lived here until 2006 when they then built their new home in the country. There was only one family who lived in the house after my grandparents and before we got our hands on it but wow did they do a doozie to this home. There are aspects that are just as I remember but there are also some big differences. However we are completely changing everything from flooring to walls to baseboards and trim boards and adding our own personal style. I’m very excited to raise my future family in this home were I have many memories!
Maria @ Something Decorated says
It really must be a comforting, wonderful feeling for them to have to see an important home from their past being taken such good care of. How sweet of them to reach out to you and share their story with you!
ColleenwithJustPaintIt says
We live in a ‘dual living’ house with me having the downstairs and my mother in the upstairs. About 6 months after moving in, we got a knock on the door. The two ladies standing there grew up in this house.
I won’t go into the long story about why they were here, but they gave us all kinds of history and even showed us some photos. The lower level (mine) was the original house, built in 1962. The upper level was added on in the early 70’s.
the house has so many quirks and I would’ve loved to ask them about each one but they were so excited to see what we’ve done with the place that we could barely get a word in, ha!
It is fascinating, imagining another family here, particularly in those years when I was growing up only 5 miles away! I’m glad you heard from your homes former owners too. It helps to remind us that houses are much more than four walls and a ceiling. :)
Michele says
Your post actually brought tears to my eyes. My grandmother is 92 years old and has lived in her house my entire life. When she passes away, her home will be sold. I would love to see a family buy the home and improve it like you have done with yours.
Andi says
Yes! This is awesome! I happened to stumble upon pictures of my previous home and the family that built it on Ancestry.com and got to exchange a few messages with the guy who scored all of the family loot. The man that built the house in 1904 was an engineer for the city of Toledo, ran a builder’s supply company and sat on the city council for a number of years. I don’t live in the house anymore, but I still love it more than anything, and I hope I did at least a little something to save a piece of history from the blight that is swallowing that neighborhood whole.
Evie says
I loved this post. Each home has so many memories. Two years ago, my first cousins and I met for a family reunion. We got up the nerve to go ask the current owner of our grandparent’s house for a look in the back yard. (My grandparents were the original owners, buying the house in 1925 and living in it until 1981.) He didn’t want us to come inside (after all, we were strangers!)and that was fine, we didn’t want to intrude anyway. But he did let us look out back. All the pines had grown so tall they completely obscured the view up the hillside, the beautiful flower beds were gone and the playhouse, where my cousins and I had spent so many hours as children, had caved-in. It was pretty sad. But no one can take our memories from us!
ErinY says
I grew up very close to 3 of my great-grandmothers. One of them passed away while I was in high school, and I have many fond memories in her house, which was built by her father in 1905. My dad recently had the chance to go in to see what the new owners had done. They had opened up a wall and changed up a few windows. She also claimed the house is haunted because she sees orbs all the time and something flipped her dog’s water dish in his face!! It was so great to hear what the house looked like and new stories from the owners and got the family talking about it again. I learned some little things I never knew about my family from those conversations, one being that my great-grandmother even said she saw orbs there in her later years!
LynnR says
We definitely ” heard from” the original owners of our house shortly after moving in. the phone company called and asked if we really wanted an additional phone line installed. We said, “well, no, what gave you that idea?” “Well so-and-so called to do that” they said. It turns out their troubled adult daughter wanted the house back and that was her first step. It all turned out okay though. We have lived here for over twenty years and have remodeled the entire house.
Kim-in-the-Cove says
Tearey-eyed and smiling!!! So heart-warming!!!
Amy says
I absolutely loved this post! This is exactly the reason I love living in houses that already have a history instead of a brand new one. We met one of the owners of our home when I noticed a group of people taking pictures of our house. Nervous, I just asked what they were doing and said they lived there as kids. They were in town for a family reunion so they even had photos of the house in the 1960s. We talked for over an hour and learned that their parents raised 5 kids in our little 1,200 sq. foot house and that the boys accidently set the entire backyard on fire playing fireman. It made my day to know that there has always been so much love and laughter in our house!
Carlie says
We just purchased a 100 year old farmhouse that used to be a one room schoolhouse. The previous owners left a box of stuff they found in the walls which include a letter from an irritated student about an essay, a college catalogue dating to 1870, a poultry magazine from 1913, a child’s boot, two corsets, an inkwell, and several other odds and ends. We also have the old pencil sharpener on the wall in the kitchen. We want to use them somehow but aren’t sure how to preserve them and exactly what to do so for now they’re in a box. I’d love to find an old photo someday of the place when it was a school, but I doubt one exists.
Kelsey Ambrosier says
I had the strangest experience involving meeting a previous owner/inhabitant of my house. I live in Michigan but was in Salt Lake City for business. I was checking into my hotel and as you know, they have to take a look at your id. The lady working the desk handed me back my id with an odd look on her face and said, “You have my address.” I was of course, very confused, and asked, “Oh you lived in East Lansing?” (This wouldn’t be too crazy as it’s a university town.)She replied, “Yes, but…at your address. You have my address.” I stared at her and since she obviously thought I didn’t believe her, she proceeded to describe my house. We had a good laugh and I showed her what we’d done with the place – she was very pleased. I was able to learn some from her as well, as we’d purchased the house from a relocation company and not the previous owners. But yes, I had to travel across the country to meet the child of the previous owner by chance – small world they say, right?
YoungHouseLove says
So crazy! I love all these stories!
xo
s
Callie says
This is a WONDERFUL post! How great and generous of them to write you!
Also, I’m pretty sure that I used to have the exact same red plaid nightgown in that 3rd photo.
Emily says
The house we lived in was owned for nearly five decades by a former patient of my husband’s (a geriatric physical therapist). The patient, a man named Joe, lived there with his wife. Joe and his wife never had kids but his wife had a profoundly retarded sister, who was like their daughter in many ways. The sister lived in the house w/ Joe and his wife until she died. Joe’s wife died a decade or so before he did and he spent his last years alone in the home. Joe had a wonderful habit of collecting people along his life’s journey, one of them being my husband. Joe was like a grandfather to my husband. When Joe died, he left his house to his neighbor across the street. My husband and I were condo hunting at the time (in a competitive Boston area housing market) when the neighbor called us up and said, Hey, do you want to buy Joe’s house? We purchased the home 8 years ago in a private sale. When we were having it inspected, our inspector was shocked to learn there had never been water in the basement (we live near a pond). We told him the story of Joe and he said, You have an angel watching over you as long as you live in the house. And it’s true. Our neighborhood is private, filled with 200 amazing families and older couples. Long time neighbors remember Joe as the kind, warm, and generous person he was. And we feel comfort in knowing that his spirit lives on in our home and in our family. Thanks for sharing this story. I loved it!
Theresa says
We have a 1970’s Rancher. I was working out in the front yard and this truck stopped out front and the people in the truck were staring at the house, finally the guy yells “Sorry to bother you, but my wife grew-up in this house and we are just driving by and showing our kids where their mom grew up” Well, what was I supposed to do, I invited her in the house to look around ;-) It was so cool to see her face as she walked into her old bedroom which happens to be my daughters bedroom. I could see all the stories coming back to her in her facial expression. It was a priceless moment. She was very thankful for the invite to come in the house and look around. I would hope someone would offer that to my kids, as this is the only house they have ever known and love!
Lisa says
When my brother-in-law was renovating my mother-in-law’s house, he ripped out he old kitchen cabinets and found a very old note underneath, in handwriting he didn’t recognize. The note said simply, “Remember Grace.” It gave us all chills. My mother-in-law’s name was Grace, and she had passed away three years prior.
Sarah says
Our 1959 home in Staunton was owned by only one family before we bought it in 2009. Mr. Fletcher left us so many lovely little things that have proved very helpful for first time homeowners. He used airline luggage tags to mark what every wire was going to, labelled the fuse box meticulously, created a little storage area under the basement stairs complete with tiny little pieces of paper thumb tacked to each section so we could add our own labels. The Fletchers raised three girls in our 2/1 ranch, and our neighbor keeps them updated on our process and was able to give them the door frame with all of the kids’ and grandkids’ heights/years on it when we took it down to remodel the kitchen. My single favorite thing, that I have kept and framed, is a grocery list that was inside a cabinet door, all of the staples the Fletchers used regularly were typed, and there are a few hand-written additions below…sherry, crackers, other stuff. It is so nice to be able to identify the ins and outs of our home personally and know how much the previous family loved it. Thanks for sharing yours.
Erin says
Wow–I love this post! I wish we could all learn so much from the people who lived in our homes before us. I love that your home was a place filled with love and happy memories for so many people. I bet some of that energy carries over. She sounded like a very special grandma. I saw a glimpse of that salmon colored wall in the photo with the pillow she made. I am so glad Chris and Erin reached out to you and that you, in turn, shared with us. It makes me feel warm and cozy reading this post.
Sharon says
I love the letters. I think it’s super amazing that someone you don’t know would take the time to write them. AND, send pictures, too! So cool. My Mom still lives in the house I grew up in, but when the time comes that someone else lives there, I’d like to see what they do with the place. When my husband and I were touring our current home, the owner at the time was out in the backyard working, even though he hadn’t lived there for at least a year. So, we met him then and also met he and his wife at the closing. They were super duper nice and gave us their new contact info in case we had any questions. We recently purchased an Earth Ship home (a second home for the investment and perhaps future real home once we are empty nesters). It came with a photo album full of pictures of the home being built by original owners. It’s really cool.
Karisse Kristel says
This is so beautiful. We my childhood home when I was about 4…years later we came back to town and the owners let us take a look around, which was so generous of them. So many good memories came flooding back. It’s nice to know I’m not the only nostalgic one out there!
-Karisse Kristel
PrettyPhilosophie.com
Karen says
My ex-husband custom built our first home at the tender age of 21 and 23. It was a whopping 1100 sf until we turned the attached “shed” into a laundry room and then? 1195 sf. We bought my “now” house in the late 90’s (all 3,000 sf of it and three kids later). The family that owned the house? Yeah, we live next door to their only daughter (who had to sign the sale papers and cried through the entire closing. Very uncomfortable). They raised 5 boys and one girl here and I am the second owner of the house. It makes you feel good that a home has such a long history of happiness.
Lindsey says
It might be the pregnancy hormones, but this post made me cry. So many memories in your amazing house, and so many more on the way!
Emily says
My house was built in 1950 and my next door neighbor and across the street neighbors are the original owners of their homes, built about the same time. Both have told me interesting info about previous owners!
I have an enormous magnolia tree (at least 3 stories high) in the front, and the lady across the street told me about a time way back when a man was carrying magnolia saplings door-to-door to sell. Hard to believe it was ever small enough to carry.
Then sometime in the 1970s, a police officer owned the house. He lost his police job and ended up becoming a bank robber. When they caught him and had the house surrounded, he killed himself in the back yard. I call him my ghost, though I don’t truly believe in ghosts nor have I had any weird things happen.
Finally, when I moved in last year, there was a huge bare patch of dirt in the back yard that ended up filling in with weeds. I was cleaning it up in the fall to plant grass, and found dozens of wood screws. Another neighbor (who has lived there for 30 years) was like “oh yeah, they took the skateboard halfpipe down when it was time to sell.”
I love hearing the stories of the history of my home!
Niki :: Village Cape Cod says
We bought our house from a family and they moved across the street. At first we were worried, but they turned into great friends and our children even go to school together. Plus if I had any questions on the house, I would simply ask him when we were hanging out in our neighborhood.
One little story is that the little boy who lived there asked us never to paint the door, b/c he loved it red. We ended up totally rebuilding our house, but I made sure to keep the new door red!
Amber says
Our first house was a major remodel! From 1920. Or so we thought…
It was a house in the middle of no where. A man pulled up one day with a woman in a van and got out and started taking pics. They eventually rang the doorbell and introduced themselves as – however many greats- great grandchildren of the original owners. And that they had pictures of it from 1904. They ended up sending us copies of all the pictures and we have moved from that house now but I love the story!
Katianne says
We purchased a 1930’s bungalow and our house was the only house on the block at that time. We met the 2nd owners of our house who lived here for over 40 years! We ended up going downtown and doing research on our house and found some pretty interesting information. A couple months after we met the family that grew up here, the owner called me saying that she found in her old paperwork the original Plat of survey from the 30’s of our house! We framed it and now showing it off! It’s been a blast being able to share memories all because of a house, we are friends now because of it!! I have been able to cherish old pictures, and even reach out to the daughter of the original owners!
JuratBernard says
Growing up, we moved every few years as my dad worked for a government contractor. We have lived as far north as Michigan, as far south as Texas, as far east as South Carolina, as far west as California and many states in between. After marrying, my husband and I settled down a few hours from a city that i once lived. One weekend, we went for a drive and drove past the old house while i reminisced. The next week I was telling a co-worker about the trip and the house and he indicated that he had also lived in that city. As we continued the discussion, we soon realized that we had lived in the exact same house! It was quite shocking and great fun sharing each of our experiences in all the nooks and crannies and fun things we both did in the house. What a great connection to share with someone!