I opened a local newspaper the other day, and had a "whoa!" moment when I thought I saw my old house pictured! Rapidly flipping through the paper again, I found the photo and saw the headline "Country Comfort in Lake Hiawatha, 1930's". Well, my last house was in Lake Hiawatha, and it was a Log Cabin as pictured, but I thought the Realtor told me the house went back to the 50's. They weren't sure, though, and to be honest, sometimes Realtors don't always want the buyer to have all the facts. :0)
Anyways... that sure looks like my old home, and if it's not, it's the same model. Compare the two photos. Mine had siding put over the original logs, but I did see them while doing some work on the outside. I also know that the fireplace was added later, so that's no worry. The triangular bits on the roof are similar, but switched, and the steps come down on the opposite side, but those could have been changed later, since I know work was done on both of those.
Chances are it's just a similar house, but it does look like a corner property like mine was, since there appears to be a vehicle in the background to the right. All in all, great fun for a history buff like myself, and exciting to see what my little Lake Cottage looked like once upon a time.
Times have changed though, considering the house was on Lake Shore drive, but there's no longer a lake! Originally, these properties were built as lake homes... cheap little vacation houses for people visiting the lake in the summertime. Later they became permanent homes, and fireplaces, furnaces, and other extras were built on and added. Honestly, considering New Jersey's harsh winters, it's a miracle any of the old log cabins are still standing!
Okay, so the photo is probably not my house, but what a nice surprise it was to see it in the newspaper. And speaking of history, I did find some interesting artifacts while digging in the garden! And old forged wrench and a quarter dating back to 1976! Won't the fine folks at Wyre Archeology be jealous of that! :0)
Addendum: Not only was this a former residence of mine, but the house was also featured in "Take Me Away From All This!!", a Knight and Day comic strip collection, as seen here:
Cheers, JOHN :0)
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6 comments:
I'm certainly jealous. I could do with that 'quarter' right about now.
Brian,
I know the feeling, but I left the quarter in the old garage... it was part of the house's history, after all. :0)
Cheers, JOHN :0)
Re; The triangles "switched" about - sometimes those old photos get printed back to front.
I've come across quite a number of B&W photography like that, the only giveaway being a car number plate, initials on a breast pocket, etc, being backwards. As photography cost a lot back in the day they worked with what they had rather than bin the mistake and start again, so it could very easily be your old house!
Excellent point, Jayne!
Although the street would then be on the other side, so it still ain't my old place, but it really does help to imagine what it must have once looked like. It's a real thrill to imagine someone relaxing in the old place, instead of worrying what will fall apart next. :0)
Cheers, JOHN :0)
I was thinking lateral inversion too, but the window placement is identical in both photos. No matter, it is great to see the three iterations!
Thanks, Sujatha!
It's nice to have a bit of history, eh? You've moved quite a bit, right? We're moving again, so the list of former homes is growing bigger. :0)
Cheers, JOHN :0)
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