Stories from the Shelbina Mansion...
Thursday, June 4, 2015
BY CRACKIE!
It is not unusual to find cracks in the wall of old homes. Rather than "groan", it can be a source of informationThe original mortar shows beneath the finish in this section of the Kitchen wall. Both of these cracks are located in the chimney area and may be related to the crack on the west outside wall that we repaired. Of course colors seen tell stories of past owners. In this age of one line twits, I often wonder how many people can deal with the duration and detail of a project that takes years.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Links between local Italianate Style Homes
Marilyn and I went to a meeting of people who admire old homes last Sunday evening. The property is known as "Fette Orchard" in Hannibal. The barn was constructed in the 1850's with later additions. In the 1870's, the house was built in the same Italianate style as Shelbina's Mansion. We admire the effort which Scott and Jean Meyer have committed to the restoration of the Fette Orchard property . Just beginning, they have a lot more experience with restoration than we. If fact, they own a restoration business that did the work on Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, IL. While discussing their project, I mentioned that we also owned an Italianate style home called the Benjamin House. Scott quickly replied that he knew the house well and had worked on it for both the Crist family and the Longs. What a connection of styles, age, and workmen!
Linoleum from the past like flooring at Shelbina's Mansion |
Large room ready for restoration to begin. |
Early stage of renovation |
Monday, May 18, 2015
Thoughts about the yard
Daffodils make me Daffy! |
Add caption |
Friday, May 8, 2015
Not all decisions are big, but sometimes difficult anyway
Which "Red" should we use?
Sure, it isn't so tough when it isn't your floor! Maybe I worry too much, but I really don't want to re-paint or even worse, look at a color that I don't like. So many decisions. It all began when a couple of layers of floor were removed and old finish stripped. Two different colors were found around the perimeter of the kitchen floor. Seemed appropriate to recreate the effect.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
North Shelby grade school visits the Mansion
North Shelby visits Historical Mansion - 2015
Teacher Susan Coe brings her class (and parents) to the Benjamin House |
And the support crew |
Old, new, and questions.....
View of north porch with newel post |
We, and Shelby County Historian Kathleen Wilhelm, have not found a photo of the north porch from before 1960. The Todd boys (Mike & Butch) gave us some insight of a porch that used to connect to the west wall of the mansion. It too is long gone.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Another Great Visit (with more history)
With the blooms of Spring, we had another wonderful visit with the Crist family. This visit included Heidi Crist Templeman and her family. Husband Scott is really nice and the two grown children (Callie & Brooks) would make any parent proud. Sister Robin is always a joy to see and their father/grandfather, Bob, is a great role model as he climbed stairs at age 90 and provided good humor to the day. Betty Lou Crist is always present with us at Shelbina's Mansion. We always enjoy stories from the Crist family. Can you imagine the thoughts of Callie and Brooks as they toured the home where their mother grew up. You don't see this style in Kirksville!
Scott, Brooks, Bob, Callie, and of course Heidi! It was a beautiful day, so we got Bob to pose with his daughters outside too! |
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