My grandfather’s shotgun farm house (circa 1911) has been uninhabited for at least a decade or more. His youngest daughter lived on the land and into her 90’s but moved into a mobile home which was set up on the homeplace next to the big house.
My cousin, Paul inherited the house from Daddy’s youngest daughter, Urbanna and he and his daughter have been restoring it back to it’s original condition bit by bit. A lot of work has gone into their efforts including putting the furniture back into rooms, adding original furnishings, putting like things together, setting up the “parlor” and the like. What a monumental job they have taken on and done bringing justice and honor to our ancestor’s lives.
We recently had a family reunion and the cousins let us all roam throughout the old place including in and out of the bedrooms, backrooms, nooks, crannies and down the lane. It was a day we all relished as we relived our youth seeing familiar items and experiencing stories through the eyes and remembrances of others.
My cousin, Charlotte let me have a quilt from the old home place. She said that in one of the outbuildings there were two mattresses put one on top of another and when they separated them, they found over a dozen perfectly kept quilts. What a find!
Charlotte also reminded us of a saying, “If these walls could talk” and told us that they did indeed talk, telling about the lives of our relatives through letters, notes, deeds, furniture, photographs and yes, a beautiful blue quilt which now is on my own bed.
God has blessed, again.
Josie
