Our Home’s History Is Our History

We have two direct connections to history: our family and our home. Family members pass and leave us with cherished memories, but our beloved homes tend to outlive us. They are what remain of those who lived there long ago.

Whose hands slid down the stair rail and spun around the newel post at the bottom? How many faces have gazed at winter storms held back by rippled glass in the window, and welcomed fresh breezes in the spring? American history can be studied in books, but houses have personal histories you can touch and feel. Small homes harbor the warmth and simplicity that most early American families shared. Those families made the glass, tilled the soil, built the schools, and filled the churches. Kitchen fires filled the air with the fragrance of meats, fruit pies, and home made breads. Their lives were full of the experience of everything they beheld.

Our historic houses are a vital connection to our heritage. Their preservation continues that connection to our descendents and becomes one of the few tangible bonds to our ancestors.

Terry Blake, Chair