Some of the homes that I am invited into are no more than shelter from the elements to their owners. Keeping the rain off should be the last thought, more of a given really, when creating your home. So many questions should run through your mind, not only does it have enough bedrooms, how big is the kitchen, etc. but also how will the children grow up within its walls. Does it have that perfect corner to curl up with a book and your eager 5 year old? Is it close enough for entertainment when the children get not quite old enough for driving but yearn to strike off on their own so that they can walk (in the inevitable pack ) to at least a coffee shop. Lots of times older homes will be able to fit the bill easier than some of the homes offered in the newer subdivisions.

Many of the builders of what are today’s historic homes had much the same concerns. Was there a creek to play in, did the house have enough room to have many children or at least slap on an addition as needed?  As trends progressed and homeowners sought “the right” area for their children to be brought up, homes reflected their desire to have a individual flair. Especially in the late Victorian and early Arts and Crafts period builders of even the most modest homes could put in a large porch for rocking or tiles surrounding a fireplace.

Those of us who live in older homes live with the design decisions of those who built the house, things that we are often puzzled by, now, I mean, who needs a trunk room these days? (Hint, make it into a bath or very large closet. )or for those of us who own a mid-century home are you liking those pink or turquoise tiles yet? The sources available to new old-house owners is huge these days and any search on the web for what you need to make the space work for you is readily available. If you search and still are stumped, visit my site and contact me through email and I will be most happy to connect you to the needed source for your particular problem.

I just had the opportunity to stop by the Harpers Ferry National Park in Harpers Ferry, WVa recently. This is where I was given my first opportunity as a Seasonal Ranger/Interpreter years ago and I definitely “caught the bug” as they say.

I walked through the downtown streets and sadly saw many exhibits shuttered, and looking in the windows, I recognized  the interiors though they were laden with dust and cobwebs. How sad — when I was there was in the mid-to-late  ’70s the park was flush from a influx of bicentennial funds. We had almost carte blanch to create the demonstrations and exhibits that were implemented at that time.

The Harper House up on the hill, which now serves as the Park Service offices I believe, was where I and so many others learned how to cook on a wood stove, make soap, embroider, kill a chicken, and perform many other early 19th-century tasks that were so important to the lives of the people living at that time. Down the historic stone steps I looked into the Confectionery Shop where I was giving my very first historic-interior research project, of which I am still inordinately proud of to this day. You really have not felt the summer heat until you are making brittle in a copper pot on the top of a very stoked-up wood stove, and you are wearing 19th-century garb at that!

Like so many historic museums and parks in this country, Harpers Ferry has felt the sting of the recession. Budget cuts have all but stopped the living history program at this beautiful park, and I applaud those National Park Service employees who strive to give the visitors a meaningful glimpse of what life was like for a small village in the early 19th century. Never mind that it is also where many consider was the beginning of the Civil War, as it was here that John Brown made his infamous raid.

I just read in the news that Harpers Ferry National Park is going to raise their rates on the 1st of April. If you have been thinking of going for a visit I urge you to do so. Even if you don’t get there before the rates go up, it really will be worth every penny. If you would like to read more about Harpers Ferry, click here for a great blog post.

I recently made a diligent effort to clean out all the boxes in my small office. Per usual I stopped often as I sat and read through all the many articles and recipes, thumbed through a much too large stack of beautiful fabrics and at the bottom of the largest box I found a family treasure. A handwritten account from my mother’s first cousin Lucinda (Donnie) Fry Slonaker about her days as a child visiting her grandparents home in “Clippe” ( as anyone who ever lived in our small village called it; to everyone else it is known as Middleway, WVa.) Titled “ Memories of Willowmere,” it is a narrative of her time spent with her grandparents and my great-grandparents at their home “Willowmere.”

It is a wonderfully written piece bringing alive a way of life that seems so long ago.  I wonder that I found so many familiar points of common reference that she spoke of and that are great memories for me personally.

She tells about the different personalities of her grandparents and two aunts who lived with them, how the Civil War forever left its imprint on my great-grandfather’s life and beliefs, how my great-aunts’ temperaments gave them a disadvantage when searching for the ever-elusive beaus, and how my great- grandmother was a gentle, kind and very accepting individual who lived each day hemmed in prayer.

This is such a wonderful gift to all of us. As a historic interior designer I love her attention to the details of the house, how the daily running of the property went about, and how the results of the “War” had left them all with so much less than they had had before. It is a great addition to our family’s oral history, and I so wish I had taken the time to speak with her at length when I had the chance. She died sometime in the ’90s when she must have been around 80, and I was too busy with my own life to take the time to visit her when I had the chance. I regret it distinctly.

“Memories of Willowmere” will be carefully preserved and handed down. I hope that my brothers, sisters and cousins will add our memories of “Willowmere” and “Clippe” to its pages so that our generation can add our voices to this important narrative of a way of life in the earliest days of the 20th century.

I urge all of you to start or add to your own family’s narrative. Your descendents will love you for it.

February’s book is one dear to my heart. “Uncommon Vernacular” is a truly wonderful book about the historic houses in my home county of Jefferson, West Virginia. John C. Allen Jr. has captured the beauty of still-existing late 18th and early 19th-century architecture that has made this area so special in the Shenandoah Valley’s history. Wisely choosing to have only black and white photographs (done by the very talented Walter Smalling, Jr.) the images capture the beautiful lines of a mantel in one of the seven Washington family homes; the funny little building I so remember from my childhood; the octagon-shaped office at the estate “Happy Retreat”; the majestic “Bellevue” overlooking the Potomac river in Shepherdstown, the state’s oldest town; and so many more. Over 700 images and drawings make this wonderful area come alive and give both the scholar and the enthusiast a wonderful experience.

To me, this is a walk through my childhood into many of the homes of my ancestors and the friends of my parents. I delighted in seeing the mantel of the small circa 1700’s house we lived in when I was a small child; this mantel in particular is important to one of our family’s “legends” as it was the one my older brother decided to nail his morning “catch” over when he was about 8. I can just imagine my mother’s horror.

For anyone who loves historic buildings, this is such a worthwhile addition to their library. I intend to give many as gifts knowing it will delight anyone with an interest in historic buildings. You can purchase this book at Amazon here.

Kips Bay Showhouse

Many people who have acquired an historic home approach living in it with reverence and a sense of homage. It is wonderful that you have a healthy respect for the home and its history, but unless you are moving into a significant property in your community, respect but not reverence is the way to go.

I have no problem with someone deciding to paint the dining room raspberry if it works for them. As I have said many times, your house usually has had many different owners with varied tastes, and your history is no less important.

Every generation has its own opportunity to make “contemporary” additions in structure or design and your generation is no different.

So paint any color that makes you happy. Design your house to become a beloved home that reflects YOUR beliefs, heritage and aspirations.

Now go out there and make some history….of your own.

Where Do I Begin

You have finally settled on the home of your dreams.  You knew from the moment you walked into the front parlor that you had to buy it.  After weeks of stress you finally walk into the home.  The walls are bare, the furniture is gone, and all of a sudden you realize what a leap you just made.  Where do you start?

First let’s talk research.  Those of you who have just purchased a house with “history”  may already be lucky enough to have the homes past already documented. Most  of us though are not so fortunate.  You must think in the broadest of terms.  Think of all context concerning the house i.e its physical, social, and historical presence at the time your house was built.  You need to see your home through the eyes of the people who lived there in order to see how they lived there. What was going on in their world both historically and socially at the time?

You will need to make a list of all the names, ages, and dates of the people who lived in the house.  Then list them chronologically  into a historical framework. Your county clerk will be your new best friend for they hold the key to the records and public papers that will document the history of the home you now own.  You will then want to visit the local Historical Society to research further.  They will no doubt have knowledge and documentation of not only your home and neighborhood but also the people who have lived there in the past. Many times the members of the society are more than willing to pass on the names of reputable tradesmen, in the area, who can help you in the restoration of your home.

Soulspace by Xorin Balbes

“Forget about other people’s styles. What do you love about yourself? What do you want to learn about yourself? What parts of your soul need to be expressed and set free into the world? With these words award-winning interior designer Xorin Balbes invites us to make of our homes — whether large or small, luxurious or simple — a sacred space in which we can grow and flourish, a true “ SoulSpace.” He invites ourselves to know exactly what we need to thrive and to experiment, if we are still learning to listen to own inner voice, to “move the couch a hundred times if you have to until it feels just right, until our whole being can resound with a strong and confident yes to our environment.”

-He suggests that the way we often organize our homes reflects unresolved issues and relationships that we need to face and deal with.
-Clearing out and de-cluttering our living space allows us to let go of the past, claim the space anew for the person we are today, and welcome the the person we wish to become.
-It’s not necessary to live in a grand home filled with expensive furnishings to create a true SoulSpace.
-Lovely flowers grown from seed can grace an urban windowsill, and a consignment shop may hold your next treasure.
-The Eight stage Soul-Space process: assess, release, cleanse, dream, discover, create, elevate, and celebrate.

Each step involves turning inward to understand the “interior design” of our being — the way we think, dream, live, love, and perceive the world. As Balbes ably demonstrates, “Creating space for your soul is the greatest gift you can give yourself.”

[This text was taken from the magazine “Spirituality and Health” book review.]

In the field of interior design one of the first principles to be learned is that no design is “brand new.”  It is always something from a concept that came before—the legs on the “new” chair are from the Chippendale period, the fabric on the “new” sofa is an ancient “Ikat” design.

When we examine different periods within the parameters of this website, from 1680-1930, we find that the Victorian Renaissance period had elements drawn from the middle ages, the Arts and Crafts period had ideas from the earlier 17th century with its many motifs and colors taken directly from the “natural” world.

All that we “design” in this field is based on fundamentals that came before us—they have stood the test of time and have proven to be good enough to be revisited again. Even the most “modern” of rooms is based in good design that give it that “new” look.  Our industry is just like the fashion industry, we know this when we see bell bottomed pants and “maxi” dresses come down the runway that last saw them in the early ’70’s. ( Rule of thumb my mother taught me, if you wore it 20 years before, don’t wear it again, whether it fits or not).

Historic Design is in some ways the easiest design form to practice. The boundaries are clear, the decision has in many cases, has already been made for you by the owners of the house in the period you are hired to interpret, or even better, the curator is responsible for the research and you the fabrication. 

 It is a slippery slope when a curator or historic interior designer starts to veer from the research they have produced just because of their tastes or desires. “When in doubt, leave blank” is a really good rule of thumb for those of us in this field. When you do venture off the reservation into undocumented territory you inevitably will find yourself painted into a corner that you will have to retreat from. 

Beware the ego of the designer or curator driving the project instead of clear, careful planning. Remember that for most historic house museum’s, the interpretive dollar is dear and must be spent with an eye to the practical as well as the scholarship behind the design.

Sometimes it really is ok to use a reproduction fabric or piece rather than ordering from the same mill used 200 years ago. In these times of belt tightening, I cannot see any justification for a curator or designer insisting on rejecting a reasonable reproduction.  Believe me, the original owners of the house you are interpreting would forgive you,     really.

I am often asked to come to someone’s home after they move and place pictures, furniture etc. I use a simple formula for all decisions concerning placement of anything in any room. First and foremost is the objects importance to the homeowner. Why do they have it? Is it a family piece or something they bought when the kids were little? After we determine its emotional importance in their lives we either discard it or place it in the order of its importance. When we are done, most times this results in a new house becoming their home. The emotion with which you associate certain pieces is a natural elimination process.  Its important for the home to reflect the clients life and loves. I recently had to opportunity to help a dear friend with thier new move. The house they are temporarily renting was not their first choice but time constraints made it more appealing as the days passed in their hunt and in they moved.  As we worked on placing pictures, photo’s and furniture. I was struck by the small story attached to each piece. “My daughter painted this her first year in college”,” Uncle George gave us that”, and “This was my Grandmother’s bible”.  Almost each piece had a story or thread woven into this very special families life and the house flew together. (Easy for me to say, I just pointed as I sat, they had to lug the boxes up and down the stairs and unpack everything)  My point to this tale is simple, your home should be a emotional touchstone of your families life. It should reflect through its objects that are around you the collective history of the the occupants. A designer should only act as a navigator through this and help you as the homeowner find that perfect place where your beloved item is seen everyday.

A small reminder of where you have been in your life and those who came before you. This is what makes a houses history and hopefully the house your home.

The Civil War Thanksgiving

With the 1864 proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln making a day in late November as a day of national thanksgiving, he gave the nation a unique holiday found only in America. One that is based on a nation that though in bitter conflict wanted to celebrate the blessings of the gift of America that most felt was a gift from God.

We are a nation that is hemmed in prayer and hospitality. This day which is so truly American is one that gives us a glimpse of the true American spirit. One that is , no matter what side a soldier of the war found himself on, celebrated the same, taking a brief moment in time to bow his head and give thanks for the gift from God that is America.

Following is a wonderful article by James S. Robbins on the origins of the first Civil War Thanksgiving.

Giving Thanks in Wartime
November 24, 2004, 8:51 a.m. James S. Robbins/The National Review

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Thanksgiving of 1864.
When we sit down to our Thanksgiving meals this year, we should take some time to remember the men and women in uniform who are unable to spend the holiday with their own families. We might also remember that Thanksgiving became a national holiday in time of war, and largely due to an effort 140 years ago to ensure that our soldiers and sailors in the field enjoyed some of the comforts of home.

Thanksgiving originated in Massachusetts and on the eve of the Civil War was still not observed nationally. In the 1850s, Thanksgiving was celebrated in about ten states in New England and the midwest. It was a time both of feasting and of charity, acknowledging the blessings of plenty while remembering those who had little. “Eat the fat, and drink the sweet,” counseled a New York Times editorial in 1851, “and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared.” When war broke out the observance became more widespread, and in 1861 the number of states celebrating Thanksgiving doubled. Troops took their traditions with them to the front, and the soldiers of Massachusetts regiments in particular held grand feasts in their field commands. Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew decreed such a celebration during the first November of the war, hoping that “military duties may not be inconsistent with their observation, in some fitting manner, of the day annually set apart for the renewal and enlivening of the domestic affections.”
President Lincoln declared a number of thanksgivings, for example in April 1862, and July 1863 after Gettysburg. Two months later Lady’s Book magazine editor Sarah Hale wrote a letter to Lincoln urging him to proclaim a national day of Thanksgiving reflecting the traditional holiday. Lincoln soon issued a declaration asking that the blessings bestowed upon the country “be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people” and inviting Americans at home and abroad “to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” This was the first general Thanksgiving observance, but the following year the holiday became the occasion for a national show of unity and support.

In October 1864, the president again decreed that the last Thursday of November be set aside to offer up prayers “for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it has pleased Him to assign as a dwelling-place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations.” Shortly thereafter, on October 27, a citizen of New York City known first only by the initials GWB (belonging to noted editor George W. Blunt), used the occasion of the holiday to propose a great national endeavor. Blunt suggested that “something be done for the Army and Navy” for Thanksgiving, “not only to aid them in keeping the day properly, but to show them they are remembered at home.” He proposed to send the troops “poultry and pies, or puddings, all cooked, ready for use.” He estimated it would take 50,000 turkeys and a like number of pies to feed the 220,000 men of the Army and Navy in Virginia then besieging Richmond. “This seems to be a big undertaking,” he wrote, “but I do not see any difficulty in carrying it out.” The food could be prepared and boxed up by those who could afford it, and shipped from New York a few days in advance, in time to be distributed the day before. If the idea has merit, he wrote, “I am ready to do my best with others to put it through.”

A committee was set up to organize the effort, their goal being that on Thanksgiving Day there would be no soldier or sailor in the eastern theater “who does not receive tangible evidence that those for whom he is periling his life remember him.” They felt it was particularly important to reach men who had no families back home. Blunt served as the committee’s executive director, and the treasurer was Theodore Roosevelt, father of the future president (then six years old). “Will not all who feel that we have a country worth defending and preserving,” the committee wrote in the Times, “do something to show those who are fighting our battles that they are remembered and honored?” The appeal was reprinted in many papers and the proposal caught on immediately.

Contributions began to come in from all over the country. Within three weeks, with little publicity and no direct solicitation, the committee had collected $50,000 (almost $600,000 in today’s dollars). The Times reprinted some of the letters sent accompanying the contributions. One contributor, signing “Little Mac” in homage to recently defeated Democratic presidential candidate and former Union General George McClellan, noted in verse,

Although I voted a Democrat,
But it has nothing to do with that.
It only shows a man can be
A Democrat and love sweet liberty.

Public stores were made available for the turkeys and “other good things for the soldiers and sailors on the James.” Goods were to be cooked, wrapped in white paper, packed in straw in boxes or barrels, and marked “Our Defenders, City Point.” Private transport companies volunteered to ship the materials by rail and steamship. The food drive was emulated in other cities. Ladies of Jersey City contributed $1,500 for the purchase of cigars and tobacco for the troops. The citizens of Orange, New Jersey, sent bags of tomatoes for sauces. There was a proposal to send 1,000 barrels of apples to soldiers, and the Army Apple Fund was born. The governor of Ohio suggested that the Saturday following Thanksgiving be devoted to helping the families of servicemen, especially those suffering privations by the absence of their men. It was called “a day of gladness for the wives and children of our brave defenders,” and is an idea that still has merit.

As the day neared, the foodstuffs were collected and shipped out. Steamers took meals to sailors and Marines in the blockade forces, and in the ports and fortifications along the eastern seaboard. Trains headed south to predetermined distribution points. Blunt believed the effect of the outpouring of public support would inspire the troops to “hit the rebels a harder lick than ever.” Meanwhile Jefferson Davis also declared a Thanksgiving day, for November 16, 1864, a day “specially devoted to the worship of Almighty God,” that the people of the Confederacy would join together in prayer that God would, inter alia, “restore peace to our beloved country, healing its bleeding wounds and securing to us the continued enjoyment of our right of self-government and independence.” But when the day arrived, Atlanta was in flames, Sherman started his march to the sea, and Lee’s men huddled in their trenches around Richmond. Confederate War Department clerk J. B. Jones dryly noted in his diary that the Confederate Thanksgiving was “like Sunday, with an occasional report of cannon down the river.”

November 24 dawned cold, bright, and brilliant on the eastern seaboard. General George G. Meade reported to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, “Nothing new or important this morning except the arrival of deserters, who report the occupation of Macon by Sherman.” Sherman’s Army continued its march, sadly unable to be reached with the Thanksgiving turkeys, but not having time to pause. In Virginia and North Carolina, Union troops were “relieved from all duty not essential to the safety of the command.” Turkey feasts were enjoyed by Union troops in camps, on the siege lines, and in the rear areas. Seventeen thousand meals were served in Washington, DC, to troops defending the city and convalescing in hospitals. A large banquet was held in Alexandria, Virginia, followed by a grand ball. In Baltimore, the Union Ladies’ Committee distributed meals to Union soldiers and rebel prisoners alike. At Camp Parole, in Annapolis, roast turkey had been the primary topic of conversation for days. That morning “every face wore a joyous aspect, in anticipation of the good things in preparation for the dinner.” Orderlies set long tables of turkey, pies, bread, butter, tea and cider. Fourteen hundred men sat down, Federal soldiers and paroled Confederates, men from every state in the Union, probably the first such all-American Thanksgiving meal ever.

Shipments sent to the Shenandoah Valley were coordinated with the city of Philadelphia. When transportation arrangements broke down at the last minute, Reverend George F. Noyes personally undertook the mission to get the food delivered. “The want of proper appliances compelled most of the men to broil or stew their turkeys,” he wrote, “but everyone seemed fully satisfied, and appreciated the significance of this sympathetic thank-offering from the loyal North. One soldier said to me, ‘It isn’t the turkey, but the idea that we care for,’ and he thus struck the key-note of the whole festival.” Fearing shortages, General Sheridan ordered the food first be distributed to enlisted men, but some officers had made independent arrangements for their units guaranteeing there was plenty for all. “Joy and festivity were the order of the day,” a correspondent wrote, “and you may depend upon it that our brave fellows in the field knew how to do justice to the occasion.” Near New Town, Virginia, the officers and men of the Ninetieth New York regiment sat down to a feast of turkeys, chickens, cakes and fruits, “more evidence that we are not forgotten, nor can we ever forget those who, while they are enjoying all the comforts of home and plenty, still think of, and by their noble deeds testify that they remember the soldiers.”

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Thanksgiving united the country in the spirit of giving, gratitude, and patriotism. It showed the troops at the front that the country was behind them, and solidified Thanksgiving as a national observance. So please take a minute to remember those who are giving so much for us, or better yet find a way to let them know that you care — www.americasupportsyou.mil is a good place to start. Let’s give our service people all the support we can, so they will be able to say, in the words of a Union soldier, “When we are asked, ‘Do they think of us at home?’ our own hearts can willingly and gladly respond, ‘They do.’”
* * *