Saving history: Exploring a WWI veteran's vacant 103-year-old house before renovation
Do you ever wonder how beautiful historic homes, with over a century's worth of stories and important context to a city's history, get destroyed?
Posted — UpdatedYou can't turn a corner in Sanford without running into the Makepeace name. There's the Makepeace house, the Makepeace Apartments, the Makepeace Mill.
So then how could a house with the name 'Makepeace' ever be at risk for becoming lost history?
WWI veteran, renowned business man, Sanford Mason
The Elizabeth Makepeace House in Sanford was built in 1918 by Henry Makepeace, a prominent member of the community.
The Makepeace family also owned Sanford Sash and Blind, a company which played a major role in Sanford's growth, starting with its founding in the late 1800s.
The home is nestled in the Rosemount-McIver district, a well-known historic neighborhood where many of the men and women who helped build Sanford all lived as neighbors.
McCormick, the Makepace family's neighbor, was also a member of the Masonic Temple.
Saving historic homes from destruction
The Makepeace house wasn't abandoned, but it was at risk for being destroyed nevertheless, according to Mckee-Whipple.
"There were a number of risk factors," she said, "The upstairs ceiling is starting to buckle, where significant water damage is impacting it."
Another room had ivy growing on the inside walls – vines had pushed through an antique window sill to enter the home. Left unchecked, the room could have eventually filled with growing vines.
"Another room had a wasp's nest just sitting inside. It was a child's room," said McKee-Whipple.
Another threat was a 200-year-old oak tree that had begun to die and rot near the top, causing its huge, sprawling branches to endanger the homes below.
Mckee-Whipple hopes to save the architectural history of Sanford and return life to these important buildings that carry so many of the city's stories.
As she renovates the antique structures, she often finds many surprises hidden inside the walls.
History hidden within antique walls
McKee-Whipple does far more than simply renovate the homes and put them back on the market – she works to uncover the history of the property, while striving to preserve original architecture from the homes and buildings.
"At the Makepeace house, we discovered this beautiful stained glass window," said McKee-Whipple. "It was hidden behind a big mirror."
She believes the stained glass window is likely original to the home, as small, ornate stained glass decor was popular in early 1900s architecture.
"That's the most important part of this story," said McKee-Whipple. "It's that these buildings have stood for 100 years, and now they will stand for 100 more."
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