- H. A. Espy House, 1941
I love looking at ‘almost ancient’ photographs. Those are the ones that were taken during my lifetime but long enough ago that I don’t really remember the circumstances. In a perverse sort of way, it’s one of the pleasures of growing old.
Yesterday I ran across a picture of my grandparents’ house – the very house I now live in. Through the magic of computer zooming and enlarging I was able to take a really good look and discovered that the little figure in front of the fence is me! I even remember the pinafore I was wearing. I must have been about five years old which puts the year at 1941.
There are several differences in the house then and now. For one thing, these days we have only two chimneys but the picture shows three. I remember when my folks had the northernmost one removed in the 1970s. The flashing around it had given way causing major leaking problems and besides, the two fireplaces it served (one upstairs, one down) were designed to burn coal and hadn’t been used for almost a century. The fireplaces remain as decorative curiosities but the roofline of the house no longer gives a clue as to their existence.
I notice, too, that there were shutters on the windows on the south side of the house. I wonder when they went away. I’d like to restore them someday. And missing from its place over the porch is our ‘tsako-te-hahsh-eetl’ sign which I thought had been there since the beginning of time.
The picture shows one rain barrel on the roof, perhaps a hold-over from the days when the only running water in the house was by gravity feed from the half dozen such barrels that my grandfather kept on the roof over the kitchen. When electricity came to Oysterville in the spring of 1938, it was finally possible to have the amenities that went with an electric pump – running water in kitchen and bathroom and, most luxurious of all, an inside flush toilet! Of course, power outages were frequent in those years. That one remaining rain barrel on the roof must have been my grandfather’s backup plan.
Finally, I notice that the house was badly in need of paint in 1941 and the garden was looking pretty tatty. By comparison, things seem remarkably well cared for today. Good to know!
Perhaps during the Depression your family thought paint was something they could put off, Sydney, but what fun to see this picture including you! I’ve told my family how lovely it is inside, especially the fireplaces, book cases, all the light from the many windows and the picture rails. I think I’ll have Mychael Clarson put some in our house. You could get him to do your shutters. He’s doing a great job residing the south side of our house that the contractor screwed up. He’s even replaced the “eyebrows” over the windows which the idiot who disappeared never replaced. They look exactly like the old ones on the other windows.
How I loved my pinafore. Regarding house painting, it just wasn’t as easy to keep a house painted in earlier times. I can recall a winter when the neighbor’s bargain paint looked really good on the ground after a bad storm and that houses needed repainting much sooner than they do now. Lead paint was the standard. It dried faster and lasted longer. It required much mixing and was a fire hazard. No water-based paint around. But your house shows itself beautiful in the photo anyway.
Soon (today, to be exact) you will have freshly repainted & relettered signs for your fence.
They look fabulous, John! But they are putting the fence to shame. I guess a coat of new paint for the fence should move to the top of our “to do” priorities.
I too enjoy old photos, this one is particularly interesting.
When I have driven by, I always assumed that the teardrop fascia decorations were relatively new. They look fragile but apparently they are not.
In 1941 the Model A out front was at least 10 years old. My great-grandfather kept his is a basement garage and one of my earlies delights was when I rode in it with him a the wheel. I wonder whatever became of that car?
The last thing I noticed was the shadow of the church in late afternoon. It is easy to see why this is such a big part of your life.
Houses were really built in those days. Imagine the weight of six 55 gallon barrels of water at about 450 pounds each. Thats 2700 pounds over the kitchen!
Thanks for the big photo
Young colleagues of mine in Russia operate a site devoted to type and lettering. Your new PRIVATE HOME sign is the latest image posted: http://dailytype.ru/picture/?pictureid=1073
Wow! Imagine our gate and sign being posted on the internet from Russia! Truly impressive. Thanks for sharing this with us!