The Big House On South Grand -PART 1

If walls could talk, they would tell of many happy memories in this house.

This was my Great Grandma's house. It was owned by my Great Uncle Larry who lived in California, but he told her as long as she lived, she could live there. Actually, Great Grandma lived there before Uncle Larry bought the house. She rented out the main floor for several years prior to him buying it. She was a care taker and had a small assisted living business.

I have fond memories of this house. In fact, I think anyone who ever entered it, walked out with a memory or two. Over the years I explored every inch of this house. All I need to do is close my eyes and I can see every nook and cranny. I'm not one to have recurring  dreams, but of anything thing I dream of, this house is what I dream of the most. I don't have any pictures from when we were little that are already scanned, but there are pictures on the reality website of the house now, so I'll be able to share a little more.

If you came through the front (which we almost never did), you would walk up onto the huge front porch. It's the porch that made me fall in love with all front porches. There was a giant porch swing and several chairs, so everyone could gather out there on a nice day. I spent hours on that old porch, swinging, talking, and watching the trains go by.

If you were to go inside, you would open the screen door, and if you were a kid like me, you would let it slam behind you, because you liked to hear it go, "Whap, whap, whap, whap!" before staying shut. Through the sets of double doors you walk into the grand entryway.



Out here at Christmas time you would have found a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and garland leading up the stairs.  Other memories include being lined up on the stairs in matching watermelon shirts one 4th of July. I also set up shop out there sometimes. Great Grandma let me set up a card table and play store. She was my customer and would pay in nickles, dimes and pennies. I of course, would get to keep the change. One time my Great Uncle Everett came over and bought a bag of candy corn from me...for a whole dollar! That was pretty exciting!

That door to the right leads to the closet under the stairs. Because it was so deep, it made for a great hiding spot while playing Hide and Seek.

This is the view you would have walking into the entry from the front doors.



The room that you can see into was the dining room. (In learning the original history of the house from my Grandma, this room was used as a music room when it was built in 1895). Normally the pocket doors would be closed, with a few exceptions of large family events. You would normally enter her apartment from a door on the right.

This is another view of the dining room



Funny, it seems much smaller in pictures than I remember! Up against the wall to the left of the window was her desk. A large dining table filled the center of the room and china filled the shelves in the corner (as seen in the first picture). Lots of  family dinners were enjoyed in here. Great Grandma was a wonderful cook and loved to entertain.

Through the pocket doors in this picture was the back bedroom. This is where I remember Great Grandma sleeping for the most part. There was this amazing green carpet. There were 2 twin beds and her dresser. It looks like it's the same wallpaper still.



Through the door on the back wall, you would walk into her closet. I know this sounds strange but I can still smell it. It was also a good hiding place! I always thought it was cool that there was a stained glass window inside of it. It makes more sense now that I've learned some of the history of the house. This was originally the dining room and the closet was added at some point.

The door to the right on next to the back wall led into the bathroom. There isn't much to share on that, other than that I loved her claw foot tub! And I learned that the bathroom was originally a Butler's Pantry. Very cool!

I think this is a good stopping place for now. I'll probably make this 3 parts, so I don't bore anyone to death.