It shouldn't surprise me when I learn how much a house means to a community! I have always had a love of older houses, but to many, it's not the house, but the people who once lived there, who draw the nostalgia.
While working at the house yesterday, I took a quick drive to the dump, which sits across the street from the house. I wanted to see if there were any restrictions regarding delivering trash. What a charming gentleman I met! He advised me that I would need a permit sticker on our vehicle in order to use that site. However, in the process of explaining what I was doing, he began sharing some memories. Apparently, he used to "run" with my husband's grandfather when they were kids. He told me some brief stories about their time.
When he learned that we were moving and restoring the house, a huge smile lit his face. He explained that he and his wife had been watching some of the work being done to the property and they both wondered what would become of the house. He laughed and said his wife would be so pleased to know that the house would not be destroyed.
At this point, he asked if we'd be able to save the chimney. I told him we planned on trying. He hoped that we could. He began telling me about the fellows that did the masonry work on those chimneys (2 on this house) and how much pride they had always taken in this house. As it turns out, these chimneys are unique (something our architect pointed out upon first seeing the house). The chimneys begin wide at the bottom and narrow as they rise. According to this man I met yesterday, boards were laid on the ground, taperring just so, so that the masons could get the exact placement of the bricks to give this effect.
According to my "history teacher" from yesterday, there is one other house in Johnston County that had similar chimneys. He told me where the other house is located. I may take a drive there and check it out.
We plan on doing everything in our power to keep those chimneys in tact and restore them to original if they are damaged in the move. We know they will have to be cut, but through our experiences and with some wonderful contacts who do historic restoration, we have the right folks for getting that job done!
