If the Walls Could Talk – Unlocking Your Home's Secrets
Everyone’s got a unique family history, and guess what? Your home has a unique history too and it’s just waiting to be discovered!
How many families came before you? Who were they?
What did they do for a living? What were their successes, their tragedies? Are they still living?
How has the house changed through the years?
What was the property like before there was a home? Was it woods, farmland or open plains? How was it subdivided through the decades?
If YOUR walls could talk, what secrets would you discover?
Well in these few short months, we’ve been discovering some exciting things about our North Carolina home and the people who lived in it before us.
You never know what you’ll find when cleaning a house that is 63 years old!
Let me start by saying this house is very similar to the one I grew up in Lafayette, La.. A late 1950s ranch style that has brought about many flashbacks of my own childhood. Because of the treasures we’ve found, I now have visions of this house from a time before I was even born.
Remarkably, we are the fourth owners and only the third family to live in this house in its 63-year history.
First Discovery!
In the back of a kitchen cabinet was this...
An envelope dated July 26, 1959, containing detailed specs of the house along with original blueprints.
Now armed with the original owner’s name, I start scouring census records, city directories, and FindAGrave.
The owner passed away in 2008, but I am pleasantly surprised to discover his wife is still living! WhitePages.com reveals she is living on the SAME STREET, just a different house number about 1.5 miles away!
What’s the next step?
Yep, drive to her house, knock on the door and introduce myself. However, I never made it to the door. I found her outside tending to her garden. We had a lovely conversation that led to this…
Melba and her son came over for a visit. Her son was just a young boy when they moved away. This was the first time she set foot in this house in 56 years!
She shared the property's history prior to 1959. Her parents owned the land and this was a wedding present for her and her husband to build their dream home.
They sold the home just after 7 short years. Why?
Because it was outside of the city limits and there was no sign of annexation in the near future. So, Melba and her family moved down the street in the city limits, where she has lived for the past 56 years.
We so enjoyed hearing what Melba loved most about the house…
“The kitchen was painted in the most beautiful mint green” and “I loved my raised back patio”.
That patio happens to be OUR favorite part of the house too. It’s our little piece of paradise on nice days starting with coffee in the morning, lunch or a snack in the afternoon, and winding down in the evenings at sunset.
Seeing the house through Melba’s eyes has given us a new perspective and appreciation for our new home. Another added bonus is we have a wonderful new friend. We even have an outing planned together on Jan 5th.
Melba shared that when we decide to sell, she wants to have the first option to buy the house back! Now that it’s in the city limits and is only one story, it is still her dream home, and she wants to live out her last days there. I sure hope we can make that dream come true!
While your families are gathered together for the holidays, I encourage you to exchange stories about your childhood home and gather old pictures. Perhaps, take it a step further and share these pictures and stories with the current family occupying the home. You never know where that connection may lead!
Stay tuned to hear the continuation of “If the Walls Could Talk”. I have more incredible house discoveries to share with you in the next blog… a mysterious, hidden picture, buried artifacts in the backyard, and a “message from beyond”, all leading to more wonderful relationships.
Before I go, I wanted to share some more exciting news! I was asked to be a guest on The Real Hickory Podcast with Mike Kelly. Click the link here: The Real Hickory Podcast with Rhonda Roederer
May you all have a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, Happy New Year filled with new family discoveries and unexpected, treasured CONNECTIONS
See you next year!
Rhonda