Learning about the house through a previous occupant.

As much as we would like to learn about the history of the house, we don't want to have any contact with the previous owner. We got lucky when a neighbor approached us during our clean up and told us he used to play in the house as a little boy with one of the children that lived there, and that he was attending their family reunion later in the week. I gave the man my phone number to give to anyone in the family.

I'm not sure this particular post would be interesting to anyone else except us. As much as I am writing this with friends and family in mind I feel like its a good place to record these second hand stories.

I've heard back from a woman who lived there as a child with her eight siblings.We have spoken on the phone and are emailing back and forth. I try to suppress my enthusiasm when I speak to her, I feel very fortunate to hear from someone who lived in the house!

 Her parents bought the house in the late 1940s and sold it in the mid to late 1970s. Here's what she's told me so far:

-The yard was all gardens with grape vines. The father made 100 gallons of wine each year. 

The tree in the front yard was planted as a seedling by her father.

The father installed the stove in the kitchen, its made by the Franklin Stove Company. She remembers it being new, right out of the box.

She thinks the rock wall is just a retaining wall to prevent soil run off

The kitchen had a bay window, and above that in the maids room were two smaller windows. There was a bay window facing the street as well. 

The woman remembers the kitchen stairs being open and running in circles playing tag with her siblings up and down the stairs.

The father did not build the front porch but installed the windows, previously there were only screens.