EARLY COUNTRY I-HOUSE -- KY

This early country house in Kentucky is like many of the small modest houses of this form. Many dating back to the 1800's they are numerous in the southern and eastern part of the United States. This particular one was found in the country near Lancaster, Kentucky. It is a great example of the small simple I-House. Very practical, vernacular and popular in southern states.

TWO HISTORIC BUILDINGS BITE THE DUST

Two buildings, the Old Creamery Building and the Miller Building, have been living next to each other since the 1800s. In fact, according to the local newspaper they are among some of the oldest buildings in the county. The Miller Building was located inside the city of Richmond's Downtown Historic zone. 

I was able to capture some "before demolition" photos of the two buildings a day before they met their demise . Sarah Hogsed caught the demolition action on a YouTube video which you can see below.

Always a sad occasion to see our historic built environment  disappear. 

My general question is -- who are we really and where are we going? 

Here are the before demolition photos that are followed up by the demolition video.

THE OLD CREAMERY BUILDING

THE MILLER BUILDING

THE DEMOLITION VIDEO

HISTORIC ALLEYWAY

Chaotic materials clash with use, time, and mother nature, assembling industrial beauty in this old alleyway in historic Lancaster, Kentucky.

COMMUNITY THREADS IN RICHMOND

I like to ride up and down side streets which run at right angles to old commercial districts and take photographs. One town where I like to ride the roads is Richmond, Kentucky -- finding a rich diverse stock of vintage residential architecture.

Here the housing stock is eclectic in its originality.  Streets bubble up with old residential homes. All shapes and sizes, some appear to have original exteriors while others have new vinyl siding and windows. No harm, vinyl can easily be removed if a person wants to restore. Overall, the residential landscape along the streets is more vintage in appearance than up-dated.

In the photos above and below are two homes I spotted close to each other on one of the streets. These homes had been up-dated with modern vinyl siding and newer doors but still had the old original archtectural trim decorating their porches. 

The porch's trim illuminates not only the home, but contributes to the historic ambiance of the neighborhood -- architectural pieces are the threads of a fabric that represents community

Fabric threads weave community.

HISTORIC UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY -- KIRKSVILLE, KENTUCKY

MAIN STREET -- KIRKSVILLE, KENTUCKY

Unincorporated Kentucky communities are places that are rooted in tradition and/or history. . They are places where the residents know the boundaries. They have no formally organized government. 


Kirksville is an unincorporated place that is surrounded by historic farms. Older homes along the curving main street reflect a rich texture of country living.


I could not find  population statistics for the community and maybe that is the way it should be. Everybody knows each other and everybody counts so there is no need for  official data..

VICTORIAN PORCH LATTICE WORK

DOUBLE PORCH  -- LATTICE WORK 

LATTICE:  A lattice or lattice work is a criss-crossed or interlaced arrangement of laths or pattern made by such an arrangement. Wiki Definition.

Today, lattice can be bought at such stores as Lowes or Home Depot. Their lattice is thin pieces of wood that bend easily. It is not stout construction like the historic lattice you see on the porch above


This porch belongs to a home in Richmond, Kentucky that was built in the late eighteen hundreds or early nineteen hundreds. The porch is interesting from the aspect it is a double decker. Both have artistically applied lattice. 
   

DOUBLE PORCH -- CLOSE UP

Below are a couple of lattice resources that have been taken from the Old House Journal. This journal has long been a favorite of mine and I highly recommend it for folks with older homes.

When I say older,  I am saying those fifty years old or older. At one time, and probably still is the rule of thumb by the National Trust of Historic Preservation, is that houses fifty years old or older can be considered for historic designation which opens new avenues. 


A great newsletter to receive on vernacular older structures is the Vernacular Architecture Forum.

Overall,  I think lattice and/or gingerbread can be adopted and applied on either old or new houses if done artistically.  If interested in historic housing check out the resources above and for trim-work see below. 

RESOURCES: 

Restoring Porch Lattice Work, Old House Journal, June 1978

I need advice on my folk Victorian exterior, Old House Journal online