If These Walls Could Talk...

How often have you heard this expression or something like it. If this table could talk, if this (your item here) could talk the stories it could tell! I think we all want to some how touch the history of these objects and experience a connection to them.

Well at my house the walls (or rather the windows) have spoken and told what seems to be a family story.

Last year I bought my first house. In keeping with my love of vintage items I bought an old house. Over the summer while I was unemployed, I took the time to go the local library where the towns old records are kept. I wanted to find out how old the house really is.

The original transfer of the land from the crown to the first owner occurred in 1831.  In 1861 the land I live on was broken up. A Mr. Kerr (common name around here) bought an acre, and broke it into lots. He paid 90 pound for the acre and sold my lot (a quarter acre) for $500.00. Although there is no mention of the house in the records the librarian told me that based on the price, the house was most likely on the land at the time. So the house is approximately 151 years old at this writing.

The family that bought it was the Wright family. The man of the house was a carpenter and joiner, and he lived here til he died in 1898. His widow continued to live here till 1926, when she passed away. The house was sold at auction in 1927. I have not yet gotten to records beyond 1927.

But, here is where it gets really interesting. This summer we had a garage sale, and my wife brought up a couple of old stained glass windows from the basement to clean up for the sale. 

While she was cleaning them she noticed a scratch on one pane and examined it more closely. Wow!! One or more of the Wright's had scratched their name in the glass, with the date 1891!!!  There are two names at least, written to make a permanent record of their lives - being here in this house! 

Now they have reached across time to my wife and I and touched us! 

The walls can talk! 

Needless to say, these particular windows did not go in the sale, and we are now in the process of deciding which of our house's windows we  will mount them in. And now I will definitely be back at the library, to see what else I can find out about the family and the house. Who knows what else these walls have to tell us.