It’s amazing when a plan comes together and goes better than you imagined. That’s what happened this past Sunday, March 19, 2023, when firefighters from three nearby areas came to our farm and executed a controlled burn on one of the two houses. In less than two hours, it completely burned to the ground, yet the planning and preparation had been in the works for 4 ½ years, since the Fall of 2017.
You may wonder why we would demolish a home, especially one that:
- Was a landmark on our historic farm and rich in history
- Was my husband’s childhood home
- Served as a temporary home to our family from June – October 2021, while we waited for the remodel next door to be complete
Let me explain
My husband’s family farm is nearly 200 years old. It has been passed down from father to son for six generations. During those generations, several homes were constructed on the property.
The original home was a log cabin. Then in 1854, the home we’re talking about was built (pictured below in 1910). It was the home of my husband Tom’s great-great-great-grandfather.
Later, in 1911, Tom’s great-grandfather built another house on the property right next door — the home we remodeled and restored in 2021 and live in now.